Stranger Kindness

Ever been humbled by a stranger or a 7 year old?  How about both in the same day?

It was a “daddy date” kind of afternoon with my two girls.  I took the both of them out while Teresa went grocery shopping and ran errands.  We went swimming, to the park, and enjoyed playing together. I admit it sounds like I got the better end of the deal. We had a great time.  Even an unexpected blessing happened.

This was my Facebook status this afternoon:

Random stranger kindness…I took the kids to the Sardis water park, then went into the pool for a swim, but when we got to the counter I realized I left my bank card at home. As we were walking out the door a random lady ran up to me and with a huge smile said “I paid for you and your girls. They really want to go swimming.” I tried to decline, but she said, “It’s already paid.” Wow.

I admit I was taken aback at the kindness of this lady who wanted nothing in return.  I have no idea who she is, and she does not know me.

This evening, after saying her bedtime prayer and tucking her in, Kaitlyn (our 7 year old) said, “Dad that lady who paid for our swimming is our neighbour.” Thinking that I had not recognized someone from our street, I asked her what she meant…so she proceeded to tell me the entire story of the good Samaritan almost word for word from Luke…which made me rejoice.

Then she looked at me with a little smile, and said:

“Dad, Jesus says we should help other people so we can be their neighbors too.”

All I could say was,

“Amen.”

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”