“For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.” -1 Peter 1:5-7
I don’t always look to shopping and Wal Mart to find events that remind me of the Love of God at work in the world, but when I first read about John Lopez and his commitment to kindness and love, I knew I would have to share his story.
John is a 19-year-old cashier at Wal-Mart in Princeton, Texas. He recently became some of a local celebrity when a story was posted on social media. Just before Christmas, John was working in a very busy Wal Mart. A young woman unloaded her cart with a small amount of groceries. As John began to scan her items he realized that the young woman was nervous that she was not going to be able to afford her groceries.
That is when John offered to help. As he finished ringing up the groceries, he stepped around the register and paid for the groceries. This kind act was captured by a woman standing in line. She posted a picture of John and wrote, ““He just renewed my faith in humanity and the generation we are raising! Everyone share this so the world knows what a blessing John is to our community!”
That is exactly what happened. People began to share about John’s gracious act. Others began to write about their interactions with John and how kind he was.
There is something about kindness and caring that resonates with our souls. I believe that it is because these are core character traits of God and we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). When we see someone helping others, it makes us feel good. When we help others, it lifts our spirits and fills our souls in a way that nothing else can do.
As we begin this week, I want to encourage you to be on the lookout for kindness and compassion being shared around you. More than that, I want to encourage you to find a way to show kindness to others. The opportunity to share the love of God is all around us…Yes, even in the check-out line at the busiest store in town.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
