Random acts of kindness and Paying it forward

Sometimes it takes an unknown stranger to remind you there are good people left in the world. Yesterday at lunch I ran to Kroger to pick up a few things for dinner and my iPhone must have fallen out of my purse next to my Jeep. Some kind stranger left it with this note on my door. I would be so lost without it that I instantly sent a little 'Thank You and God please Bless this person' prayer out.

This started me thinking about a few angles on earth I had encountered in my life. There was the father of a college aged daughter who pulled over and took me to a gas station when I ran out of gas on the way home from the University of Texas in Austin one weekend. I don't to this day know how I knew I could trust him. Everything I had been taught told me not to get in a car with a stranger but somehow he was a ok. I got really lucky. I would never tell anyone to do what I did that day but he was an angel to do what he did and he probably did save me.

There were my two heroes when I went mountain biking the first time. You can read that story Here . That story would have ended much worse had I not found two guys willing to peddle me out of the park that night.

Paying it forward:

Then I started to think about the times I had been the angel and the times I had failed. Mostly the times I had the chances and passed on my chance and why. My opportunities usually have the same theme, someone approaches me in a parking lot asking for money for gas. I never have cash. I just don't carry cash. I don't buy Girl Scout cookies because I don't have cash. If I want to put money in those little bell ringing things I usually throw spare change because that's all I ever have on me. I will go in and do my grocery shopping and get cash for the person who needs gas but they are always gone when I come outside. I never know, did they find gas? Did they really need gas? Did they just want money? How do you ever really know?

I realize we all have lessons to learn and maybe mine is to keep $10.00 in my wallet for these people so I can quit feeling guilty because if Jesus really wants me to just part with the money regardless of if these people need it for gas or a cheeseburger, maybe I should just be willing to part with it and let it go...I just don't know because I also believe God expects people to help themselves. Life is such a difficult balance sometimes.


So, what are your best random acts of kindness that someone has done for you and how do you pay it forward?




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