I wrote this back in October after witnessing something unusual on my way to work.
It was finally Friday. As I opened the garage door to pull my car out, I couldn’t help being taken in by the beauty of the vibrant red and orange colors of the leaves on the trees in my neighborhood. The day felt like autumn; it was about 48 degrees and pouring down rain. The rain intensified the chill in the air.
As I turned on to the main road, I noticed an unusual site. Sitting in the middle of the road was a gray Ford truck with its hazard lights flashing. Before I could wonder if there was anyone inside, I saw a young man wearing a white t-shirt at the bus stop along with a man in a wheelchair. I typically see the wheelchair-bound man several times a week waiting for the bus. He must have been waiting for the bus like any other day and was surprised by the downpour.
The young man had stopped his truck in the middle of the road to give an umbrella to someone who needed one. He was getting drenched as he opened the umbrella and attached it to the wheelchair for the man. The young man, now soaking wet, ran back to his truck and drove off ahead of me.
I was in shock at what I had seen. I had just witnessed a real random act of kindness; the type that just happens without planning or a large crowd in sight to applaud. My shock turned to emotion. I couldn’t help thinking about what I had witnessed. Given the opportunity, would I have done what that young man did that day? Would I have been willing to get my nice outfit soaked and my hair ruined for the sake of helping out a stranger? I didn’t have to dwell too long on the question--I knew the answer.
This week, let’s get outside of ourselves and look for opportunities for our own random act of kindness. I strongly believe that we pass by chances every single day to help someone we don’t know. We can be too “busy” or self-involved to notice these opportunities or rationalize to ourselves why we cannot or should not bother.
God, give us Your eyes to see the need around us, give us Your compassion to act.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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6 comments:
Steph,
This one brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for your insight. I'll try those random acts of kindness this week.
Ann
Thank you for this encouragement, Stephanie. I truly need to look outside my 'self world'. Of course, when I do the act of kindness, I ought to pray that God somehow reveals His love to the recipient.
I look forward to your weekly illustations/teachings. God bless you. And I am looking forward to your music/worship ministry.
Devita
Devita makes a good point. We should always be praying for people as we serve with the love of Christ. Sometimes there may be times to talk with people, other times there may not be. We need to go away praying that their heart will be open to the love of Jesus, and that they will come into a vibrant relationship with Him.
Hi Stephnie,
Isn't it fun to do something special for someone else. A smile came to my heart as I read this one, and a couple of nice memories of when the Lord prompted me and I responded with doing something unexpected and nice for people I didn't know.
Thank you for adding this story!
Christine
Thanks for the comments Christine! Welcome to the blog community here at my site. We need to catch up over lunch soon.
Good words.
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