The Little Things
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:40.
Have you ever wondered how you can make a difference in someone’s life, then discard the idea because you fear rejection, don’t have the time or resources? Has a thought of charity or courtesy come to mind, but you hesitated so long the moment passed before you could act upon it? We all have. What if you did something nice, but the recipient became angry, impatient or – worst of all – ignored you? But what if your small act met a need?
You might be a college student barely able to keep your grades up and your head above water. You could be a senior on a fixed income and need a cane to walk. You may be living paycheck-to-paycheck and wonder how the little dab left at the end of the month could help anybody.
Why is it only when we are reminded by the red kettles of the Salvation Army’s Bell Ringers, that we remember our fellow man? Sometimes broadcasters report the news of some generous soul anomalously paying off the lay-away of a family unknown to the giver. Here, there and yon, deferred payment plans for toys and bicycles suddenly become zero. Thankful parents rejoice that somebody cared enough to put smiles on their kids’ faces and shoes on their feet.
On his morning show, a disc jockey may relay a story of how a thoughtful lady started a chain reaction when she paid for the Starbucks coffee of the driver behind her. Then that driver paid for the one behind him. Another person did the same. And another.
To make an impact on a life, a gift of cash, a trip to Wal-Mart or ordering something from Amazon isn’t necessary. You require only kindness. Every day presents an opportunity to demonstrate it. The isolated, the lonely, those who could use a helping hand must be shown that they are seen, that they matter.
Remember the shy adolescent who opened the door of the market for you when your arms were loaded with a fussy baby, a diaper bag over one shoulder and a heavy sack of formula over the other and he carefully placed everything in your car? What about that truck driver who paused during rush hour to wave you into the street to briefly block that endless line of honking vehicles and you got to work on time? Then there was that awful Murphy’s Law Day when you finally stumbled in your front door, shuffled through the bills only to discover a card from a long-ago friend?
Help loading your SUV; the deliberate pause in traffic; the handwritten I-miss-you note. Cost: zero. Worth: priceless.
Whether you’re scrambling for space in a crowded Manhattan subway or shoe-horned into a hot city bus in rural Tennessee, you can give up your seat to a fragile old man who sighs his relief to take a load off. Or after you mow your yard, you could also cut the grass for the single mom next door. Backpacking a dusty road through a tiny village in Uganda, you might spot a huge bunch of bright green matoke precariously strapped across a donkey’s back. You walk alongside to steady the precious cargo to prevent those cooking bananas from crushing the little boy whose grown-up responsibility is to guide the animal safely home.
Finally, don’t allow the image of those individuals in need to evaporate into the busyness of life. When you beseech heaven to meet them where they are, you are the conduit of one of the most powerful acts one human being can give another.
Mother Teresa once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” Dare to cast your random acts of kindness into society’s dark, turbulent sea, then watch those encounters ripple light across the world.
Each selfless act is in service to the King.
Elaine Hall
The Conversation
Good word Elaine!