"Pass It On"

Each Sunday morning on the way to church I usually grab a coffee at Starbucks. A few months ago the driver of a white sedan that was ahead of me in the drive through line paid for my coffee. They call it “random acts of kindness”. I felt honored, special, and important immeditely. After the barista told me they had paid for my coffee I quickly drove out of the parking lot hoping to pull up beside this car at our first set of lights. I felt obliged to thank them and quite honestly I wanted to find out if I knew who they were. Much to my disappoitment but possibly to my benefit the car turned at the lights before I got there. All I ever saw was the car’s tail lights.

I love telling this story because it honors something that is so right. To be honest what impressed me so much is not so much the couple of dollars as it is the gesture. This fellow coffee drinker made a great impact on my life. I will never know what prompted this generous person early that Sunday morning but it sure did set a positive tone for me for the rest of the day and reminded me of the value of living with a generous spirit.

At some point during the next couple of weeks we will see one year draw to a close and another year open up before us. There are many memories and lessons learned in 2008 that I will carry forward into 2009. One of the truest lessons is that it really doesn’t take much to provide a blessing and to be an encouragement to another. It takes awareness and action.

The book of Proverbs says “through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted.” What a great challenge and opportunity to dispense blessing on another through words, gifts, action and prayer. This verse says our city and the people of the city can be blessed.

I eventually was able to say thanks to the driver of the white sedan. I said thanks by randomly buying a couple of lattes for the driver of the big white truck and his passenger who was behind me in the drive through line just this past Sunday morning. It became my random act of kindness.

I know it is said that you lose your heavenly reward by letting others in on what we do in private. I am okay with that. I will lose mine for your sake because I know that you will not just consider doing such a thing but will actually share a random act of kindness in the near future. When you do you set in motion blessing upon blessing for people on earth and for yourself in Heaven.