| Micah 6:8 – “Do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly.” |
When I was in high school, we lived about three blocks from the school. One cold winter afternoon as I was walking home, I passed the teachers’ parking lot where all the cars were covered with several inches of new fluffy snow. My mom was the school nurse, and as I got to her car, I decided to clean it off for her. I opened her car door (we didn’t routinely lock our cars in this small town back in the 70’s) and found her snow scraper with a brush on the end. I cleaned all the snow off her car, then thought it would be fun to do a few more. Before long, I had brushed off eight or ten cars but was getting cold so decided it was enough. I put the scraper back in my mom’s car and then walked the rest of the way home.
I wish I could have seen the look on my teachers’ faces when they saw their cars cleaned off! After about 30 minutes, my mom came home and told me about the fun surprise of clean cars and wondering who would do such a kind thing? I never did admit it to her but kept it as my little secret. It really was a small thing and only took a few minutes of my time, but it meant a lot to them.
Our verse above reminds us to be kind to each other, to love doing good things. Whether it is paying someone’s toll or buying the Starbucks for the car behind you, doing good does not need to be difficult or expensive. Is your neighbor elderly or have health problems and now having trouble keeping the lawn mowed or weeds pulled? Maybe there is a new mom in the neighborhood who would appreciate you running errands or picking up dinner? Open your eyes and look at those around you. What small thing could you do to make their day? And maybe keep it your own little secret – it’s fun!
Prayer: Dear Father, open my eyes to see ways to show your love and kindness to others. Help me to be sensitive to the needs of others and to be creative in meeting those needs. Keep me humble, not seeking attention or praise. Amen.
-Betty Gossell
