A few extra moments
The elderly man stood just outside the door of the local grocery store.
He waited as if maybe he was thinking about going back in, as if he had forgotten something. Then, it became clear why he was waiting. Slowly and carefully he pushed the door open and held it as an elderly woman with a walker eased her way outside. He saw her coming and was waiting to hold the door.
“That’s a very nice thing to do for your wife,” one of the store workers said to him as he walked behind her.
“Oh, she’s not my wife,” he said. “I really don’t know her. It just looked like she needed a hand, and it only took an extra minute or two of my time. Glad to do it.”
A few extra moments that day, although mostly unnoticed by most people, accomplished at least two things. First, it encouraged the woman who was helped. This was evident from the smile, the nod and the words of thanks she shared with the kind stranger. Secondly, it blessed the man who quietly performed this act of kindness. He walked away with a smile, not needing any recognition but moving on with his day as if acts like this had become normal for him through the years.
Years of learning the ways of kindness had transformed him and made these actions a blessing for him, as well as for those he helped. Finally, this kind act made an impression on those who witnessed it. It didn’t make headlines. It wasn’t on the news. The impression it made was passed along to and through those few who were there. Just think of how many ways just a few people could multiply kindness through the simple example of this one man.
The Book of Ephesians says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The kindness that comes from faith is always one that is passed along to others. It starts with a compassionate God who finds creative ways, big and small, to demonstrate kindness. It continues through actions that become contagious. Eventually, this changes the whole world.
It just takes a few extra moments.
