“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” – Colossians 3:12-14
Weddings are times of great joy. Two special people develop a relationship and choose to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. The wedding itself is a special moment where the two become one, by God’s grace. The wedding is a unique event that requires lots of time and effort to plan. Some people choose a local wedding while others look for a more exotic destinations to begin their lives together.
Amanda and Paul wanted to celebrate their special day on the emerald island of Skye, in the Scottish Hebrides. They wanted a picturesque island wedding destination. They planned their outfits, the wedding and, of course, their travel from Florida to Scotland. When Amanda and Paul planned their travel, they built in plenty of time for seeing sites and for arriving at their destination comfortably. Unfortunately, they ran into travel delays. Before they even left home, their flights were redirected. Like so many travelers today, Amanda and Paul’s flights were cancelled, changed, and delayed. They thought they would arrive on Skye with four days to prepare for their wedding. After the delays, they arrived with less than a day to go.
The travel delays were frustrating and, to make matters worse, the airlines lost their bags. Amanda’s dress and Paul’s suit were among the missing luggage. It looked like the dream destination wedding was not going to happen. That is when the people of Skye decided to help. The first person to learn of Paul and Amanda’s troubles was Rosie Woodhouse. Rosie was supposed to be the wedding photographer. She quickly became much more. Rosie started making calls to friends. Before long, she had acquired all the things needed to make a wedding happen. One person donated a beautiful dress for Amanda. Another person donated a kilt for Paul. The wedding was on!
Paul and Amanda’s wedding was made possible because a few caring people went out of their way to help. Their actions helped redeem a moment that was almost lost to airline cancellations. It is a reminder to us that an act of kindness, for those in need, can create a time of joy. We are capable of creating special moments. Our kindness will make a difference. Like the people of Skye, we can build a better world with simple acts of kindness.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
