“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” -Proverbs 3:3
Not long ago I was standing in the check out line at the store. There were a few people ahead of me. I was being as patient as I possible could, but to be honest I was in a hurry and I don’t like waiting in line. As soon as I could, I placed my items on the conveyer belt and stepped towards the cashier.
It was now my time to pay for my items. I was ready to get out of the store and move on to the next event in my day. When I looked up at the cashier I could see that she was having a bad day. She had a terrible frown on her face and her eyes seemed so sad.
Although I really wanted to leave the store, I paused in the moment and asked, “Are you doing OK today?” She was actually shocked at my question. I think it was the first bit of kindness she had experienced in a while. We exchanged a few sentences, I paid for my items and then I told her that I appreciated her service and that I hope she had a blessed day. As I was walking away from our brief conversation, she simply said, “Thank You.”
I am not sure I made a big difference in her life that day, but I was glad I took a moment, slowed down, and said something nice. We all have so many items on our to-do-list each day, and in our rush from one thing to the next we can easily forget to look up and see the needs of people right in front of us. The truth is we can do so much for the people around us, if we just take a moment and offer a bit of kindness and compassion. A few intentional kind words just may make a positive difference. One or two minutes out of our time might be a gift that makes a person’s day.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
