As I remember it, some girls in the first grade could make a guy’s life miserable. I remember walking down the hallway to my
classroom when a bunch of girls started yelling, “Ooh, stay away from George. He’s been bitten with the cooties bug. He's got cooties! Cooties! And it wasn’t true. I’ve never been bit by a cooties bug. Never had cooties. Trust me!
Still, once you’ve been identified as having cooties, you just know that
life will be miserable in first grade for at least the rest of the day!
As I said
before, I’ve never, ever had cooties.
But there is one bug I’d like to be infected with. That’s the kudos bug.
Never heard
of it? Let me ask you – have you ever
been recognized for a job well done…received praise for going the extra mile in
serving another person…singled out for having helped another person when they
needed you? Then you’ve received a
kudos. Somebody lifted you up, built you
up and made you feel special. That’s
something I’d like to spread to my family and friends and church family –
kudos.
In fact,
according to the apostle Paul, one of the best uses of our time, until the Last
Day when our Lord and Savior returns for His church, is to give kudos to each
other. Since we don’t know the day of
the Lord, Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “Therefore encourage one another
and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
One kudos
contains more power than a jet engine. Praise a child
and you’ll most like see a smile that could light up Las Vegas Old
Faithful . Recognize a
fellow believer in Christ for selfless service and you’ll fill a heart with
peace and joy.
Some folks
are too taken with themselves to be kudos dispensers. These are the people who like to remind you
that the project wouldn’t have gotten done without their superior knowledge or
costly sacrifice of time and energy.
Have you ever noticed that such people rarely wear hats – it’s too
difficult to find a size that will fit their swollen heads!
Paul
reminds us in his first letter to the Corinthians, “Knowledge puffs up; love
builds up.” Love builds others up like a
strong and mighty wall. Isn’t that what
Jesus does in our lives? Jesus forgives
us as we confess our sins. Jesus teaches
us and we want to do His will. Jesus
feeds us His supper and faith is strengthened.
From a heart overflowing with love, Jesus builds us up.
Who do you
know whose heart overflows with the love of Jesus? Is it your spouse who gladly puts your needs
ahead of everything else? Is it a friend
at church who happily takes on the tasks nobody else wants to deal with? Is it the neighbor across the street who is
eager to help out when you need an extra pair of hands?
Maybe this
is the week to get infected with kudos.
But don’t worry - the cure is easy –you get over kudos by giving them
away. So do it! Ask Jesus to help you see those people in
your life who would be blessed by a word of praise from you. Pass the cooties, eh, I mean, the kudos bug
around this week!
