The Kindness Of Strangers

Tonight a dear friend of ours almost got stuck in a ditch. We happened to be right behind her, so we immediately stopped to help. She was wedged in there pretty good, and lo and behold, a big truck came by, and asked if he could help. Well, he wasn't exactly a stranger to us, but it was really nice he stopped to help. Then as he was getting his truck into position, another big truck comes along, with a nice young man and lady in it, and he gets out, and offers to help too. So, between all of us, we were able to get our friend out of her dilemma and her car safely into her garage.

It was such a blessing to have people stop so quickly to help, and to keep our friend from having to use her tow package. That is what the kingdom of God is about. Kindness. Going the extra mile. We have a really special yearly (and really it is supposed to go on all year long) event that is promoted here, in February. It is called "Random Acts Of Kindness", and people are given a blue ribbon when someone sees them do a kind act. The schools pick winners of kindness essays, and then the top winners are able to give awards to their heroes at the City Council meetings. It is a work that involves a community, not just certain people.

My own daughter wrote about her kindness hero, Sherri Holcomb. Sherri has done so many kind things for our family, and she is such an encourager to me, and supports me with words of knowledge, Scripture, and by praying for us all the time. Her whole family is so dear to us. Her husband Sal, son Seth, and Sherri's parents, Jeannie and Jack, who all treat Kaylee and the rest of us as one of their own, are just as precious as she is. Kaylee didn't win the class essay, but I am proud of her, choosing someone she looks up to, someone she admires and strives to be like. Someone whose kindness has impacted her life in such a way, that she wants to be kind as well. To do things for other people.

Isn't that what we should all strive to do? Make those around us aware of the difference of our lives, compared to the world's way. I heard a sermon once in which the pastor said, "If you are just like the people of the world, you are not doing your job as an ambassador of Christ. You should not look like the world, you should be so different, that the world stands up and takes notice." It says in Scripture that people will praise God, when they see our good deeds. People who don't know God, will praise Him, because of what they see in us.

Another friend of mine wants "to pay it forward". If you haven't seen that movie, it has some gritty parts, but the story is priceless. It is about a young man who is given a class assignment and comes up with a unique (to him) idea. How helping 3 people could impact a larger group, because if they all help 3 people, and those people help 3 people, it could get big real fast. I say this was a unique idea to him, but Jesus gave just as radical an idea to the people (and us) of His time. He told them to "go the extra mile", that when a soldier asked them to go 1 mile, to go two." You see, they only did what was required of them, and no more. Jesus was asking them to do more. To show kindness to their enemies. He said that by doing this, "They'd be heaping coals of fire upon their enemies' heads". I don't say be kind to get revenge. I say be kind, because it sets you free to do even more for Christ. Let your enemies burn with their own attitudes and problems. You get to walk free into a more peaceful, joyful life. It also says in God's Word, "overcome evil with good". We overcome evil by each good, kind act we do. Wow. Just choosing to act kindly, can get rid of evil.



She started to believe, not just by words, but by the actions of her husband. He was so kind to their children and to her. He was a changed man. Kindness spoke louder than words to her heart. Our kindness has that impact, because we are indeed Christ's ambassadors. We represent Him in this forsaken world. We are the ones people see, when we speak about Him. If our actions don't line up with what the Bible says we should be acting like, they aren't going to believe us, about a Saviour that is real and can change lives. So, let our actions be actions of love. I read a book once, that impacted me so deeply. It was about a church who decided to impact their community by finding ways to help others. They would wipe windshields, give out sodas on a hot day, clean local business' bathrooms (yes, any business that had a bathroom that needed cleaning), do free car washes, all this, just to impact their community with the chance to let them know Jesus loved them, and as His ambassador's, they did too. It meant giving up many things in their lives, that they may have wanted to do, but their commitment to Christ meant more than those things.

What are we willing to give up, to answer that call to kindness? Are there things in our lives that hold us back from helping a friend in need, or fixing a meal for a hurting family, or just being a support system for those around us? Sometimes we are asked to give up sleep. Sometimes we need to wake up earlier than usual. Sometimes we are asked to go on a road trip, a meeting, a lunch, a breakfast, a dinner, a tea, or something else. We can only go that extra mile, with Christ inside us, showing us the way. Each step we take in bringing forth kindness in our communities and world, makes an impact. Look at a rock thrown into a pond. The ripples are small at first, and then as they radiate out, the circle of impact is so great. Just like "paying it forward" or "going the extra mile". Jim Bergantz and his wife Judy, have been doing the kindness event for a long time. It has made an impact, but he told Isolino and I the other day, he'd love to do this for other cities. He'd love to be able to go all over the place and help other communities get kindness events going there. His vision isn't just for one place, it is to change the world with kindness. The kindness of strangers, what an impact it can have. We experienced it tonight, with two different men stopping what they were doing, and taking the time to help us out. What impact will it have in the world around us? Let Christ shine out of you,, so your impact will be great. God bless you all, dear ones. Let the fragrance of Christ permeate those around you, so that as they see your kind actions, they begin to praise God.