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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

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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