Of Whiskey Wars and Wholeheartedness
Hans Island is a small, uninhabited rock in the Arctic’s Nares Strait, situated directly between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark). For nearly 50 years, it was at the center of a quirky little territorial dispute known as the “Whisky War.”
Both Canada and Denmark laid territorial claim to this seemingly useless hunk of rock floating in those artice waters. Yet, it wasn't quite worth taking up arms over. Instead, each nation would periodically lay claim to the island by raising their flag there, and then good humoredly leaving a bottle of their nation's finest whiskey as a consolation prize for the other country having been "conquered."
The standoff ended peacefully in June 2022, when Canada and Denmark finally agreed to split the island roughly in half, creating a new land border between the two nations.
In the spiritual realm, God is endlessly in a tug of war with the world for your heart. He is not happy to settle for half. He is not willing to compromise for a portion.
In the war for territorial rights to your heart, Jesus wants it all!
"Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind'" (Matthew 22:37, KJV).
"And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19, ESV).
"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name" (Psalm 86:11, ESV).
Paying It Forward: Rote or Real?
Florida Man Deliberately Scuttles Another 'Pay It Forward' Starbucks Line
How it started:
A nice man, we'll call him John, loved the simple joy of giving. He was well-known in his community for his acts of kindness, always looking for ways to brighten someone's day. One morning, inspired by stories he'd heard, John decided to start a "pay it forward" chain at his local Starbucks Coffee Shop. He paid for his coffee and for the order of the person in line behind him, leaving the cashier with a smile and instructions to keep the chain going.
For hours, the chain continued, each person "seemingly" touched by the gesture, deciding to pass on the kindness.
How it ended, according to ABC News:
A Florida man put an end to another “pay it forward” streak at a local Starbucks because he said he thinks people were participating out of “guilt,” not “generosity.”
Peter Schorsch, a blogger, drove to the Starbucks drive-thru in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Thursday after hearing about the pay it forward phenomenon there that ended with customer No. 458, a woman, the day before. After he ordered two Venti Mocha Frappuccinos, the barista told him his first drink had been paid for by the previous customer and asked if he would like to pay for the next customer.
“I told him no,” Schorsch, of St. Petersburg, told ABC News. “When the barista asks you to pay it forward, it is no longer spontaneous.”
“I’m really not trying to be a Grinch,” Schorsch said. “I know things are hard for baristas and I am willing to help people.”
“I just don’t want to be forced into doing something." ...
When baristas ask customers to pay for the next customer, some patrons simply oblige out of guilt, not generosity, he said.
But before you go thinking all generosity was lost, story ends on a good note ...
Though Schorsch didn't pay for the next customer at the drive-thru, he said he tipped the barista $100.
This story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of keeping our first love of kindness and generosity alive, not just in actions, but in spirit.
In the early days of following Jesus, our acts of kindness are often driven by a heartfelt response to the love we've experienced in Christ. Over time, however, it's easy for our actions to become mechanical, a matter of rote obligation or compulsion rather than a reflection of a deeply felt love and generosity.
Just as John initiated the pay-it-forward chain out of a genuine desire to spread kindness, we are called to ensure that our acts of love, service, and generosity stem from a place of genuine care and compassion. When we act out of obligation or for recognition, we lose the essence of what it means to love as Jesus loved.
The call to not lose our first love is a call to remember why we started in the first place. It's an invitation to revisit the heart of our actions, ensuring they are rooted in genuine love and not merely in habit or expectation.
Whether it's in acts of kindness, our service to others, or our relationship with God, let's commit to keeping our hearts engaged, our motives pure, and our love fresh.
In doing so, we not only enrich our own lives, but also truly reflect the heart of Christ to the world around us. Let's not let our love become rote; instead, let's ensure it remains vibrant, heartfelt, and deeply rooted in the love we first received.
"But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first" (Revelation 2:4, ESV).
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NIV).
The Frosty Creep of a Hardening Heart
Guard especially against heart-hardening. Hard hearts are unbelieving ones; therefore beware of ossification of the heart. The hardest hearts were soft once, and the softest may get hard. The chalk which now holds the fossil shells was once moist ooze. The horny hand of toil was once full of soft dimples. The murderer once shuddered when, as a boy, he crushed a worm. Judas must have been once a tender and impressionable lad.
At first the process can be detected by none but a practiced eye. Then there is a thin film of ice, so slender that a pin or needle would fall through. At length it will sustain a pebble, and, if winter still hold its unbroken sway, a child, a man, a crowd, a cart will follow. We get hard through the steps of an unperceived process. -- F.B. Meyer
Meyer concludes,
The constant hearing the truth without obeying it. The knowing a better and doing the worse. The cherishing of unholy things that seem fair as angels. The refusal to confess the wrong and to profess the right. All these things harden. Beware of the deceitfulness of sin! Take heed to yourselves! Exhort one another daily.
"As it is said, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion'” (Hebrews 3:15, ESV).