Pastor's Corner

Odessa Foursquare Church

This summer I witnessed many random acts of kindness. We are living in a world that seems to be filled with hate and discontent, lying and cheating, wars of all sizes, fear of not having enough, and the list could go on. If we only looked at the negative side of the world, we could think that our world is falling apart, but I want to share with you the other side of the story or as Paul Harvey would have said “the rest of the story”.

My wife and I waited in line to order coffee. Once we placed our order we were surprised to find out that someone had already paid for our drinks. Another time we went out to dinner and when it was time to pay for our meal, again we were informed that someone had paid for our dinner. Recently we went golfing and out of the blue someone let us use their golf cart with no charge. I know that we are not the only ones that have experienced the kindness of others in life. I think it is sad that when the news is reported we more often than not hear about the things that are going wrong in the world around us, not the things that are going right. I understand that good things do not usually make headlines, but it is nice to hear about the good things that are going on around us.

One of the most memorable acts of kindness I have witnessed happened last month as we were on a motorcycle ride. We stopped in a small town to have lunch at a small restaurant. It was what you would think of as a “Mom and Pop” establishment, but Pop was missing. In fact, the only person working was a lady. She was the cook, the waitress, the cashier and the “bus boy”. She did it all and in the midst of running the restaurant she took the time to fulfill the request of an elderly, arthritic customer. She stopped and cut the customer’s cinnamon roll into bite sized pieces and even sat for a visit for a few minutes just to assure the lady that she was an important and valued customer.

I am sure random acts of kindness are going on all around us, but often with little recognition. I want to say thank you to those of you who take the time to do random acts of kindness. I know that you don’t do these things to be recognized, but just because that is who you are. I would like to also cheer others on who have thought about doing things like this, but for whatever reason talked yourself out of doing a random act of kindness. If you proceed with the act, you might just make someone’s day. If you have been the recipient of one of these random acts of kindness, I would like to hear about it and encourage others with your story, anonymously of course. Please email your story to me at: bccoxclan1@gmail.com and together we can spread the news about the good things that have been going on in our lives. Have a great day and be a blessing wherever you go.