| Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another” |
A few weeks ago my wife and I were at Kroger buying groceries. We had just been through some winter weather so I drove her there and rode shotgun on the shopping cart. As we exited and navigated the parking lot, a middle aged guy approached. “Sir, I have four children. I work, but it doesn’t go far enough to cover everything. Could you help me out?” I shook my head and said no. I kept walking. His loud reply: “I’m goin’ to tell Jesus!” I got in the car and told her what had just happened. I added: “Jesus already knows.” I was bothered by my encounter. If he was going to tell on me, I would like to be present to defend myself and to make sure he told it accurately. Kind of like when one of my brothers might say “I’m telling Mom!” I wanted to be there to add my “He hit me first” defense. My wife wanted to drop a book at the public library. So I drove the mile and a half to the city hall complex. She opened the back door and retrieved her book. She: “Oh, we have these goodie bags for the homeless back here.” A few weeks before, a minister at our church organized a night for us to assemble care packs to hand out to strangers who ask us for help. “We could have given him one of these.” Me: “Let’s go back to Kroger and find him, if he is still there.” I aimed the car and headed off. I drove up and down the parking aisles, and there he was, talking to an older woman. She was handing him cash as we pulled up. My wife handed him two care packs. His response: “God bless you.” I thought it but didn’t say it. “Be sure and tell Jesus.” We closed our discourse with him better than it began. I am not out to make enemies. I aim to make friends. “As far as possible to live peacefully with all men.” It is easy to become hard hearted and skeptical when approached by strangers. May God help me. Father in heaven, help me to show kindness to all, in Jesus’ name, Amen
- Jeff Beall
