Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Random Acts of Kindness

I was recently talking to a young lady that I encounter occasionally where I work. We discussed the weather, which happened to be inordinately cold for the past several days. Some statement in our conversation reminded her of an incident which occurred one night when she was at college several years before. The weather that evening was bitter also and she found herself leaving a building after dark, alone, and some distance from her dorm. She was not appropriately dressed for the temperature and was hoping someone would come along and offer her a ride, but this didn’t happen. Before she had walked much distance, she found herself becoming so cold she could barely move. The buildings around her were dark and she knew the likelihood of being able to attract attention enough to gain access was slim and she pressed on. Soon, she felt she couldn’t take even one more step. In a state of quiet desperation now, she cast about in her mind as to what to do and a thought rose to the forefront of her thoughts that she should pray, which she did. As she stood like an ice statue in the road, praying a simple plea for help, a voice in her head began to speak, saying something to the effect of “Do you remember when you used to be on the beach in Florida? Well, imagine yourself there right now. Imagine the sun’s heat, the hot sand, the warm breezes.” So she did and soon found that she had generated enough internal warmth that she could continue to walk, eventually arriving at her dorm, so stiff and cold that she could only kick at the door until someone let her in.

As she finished her story, she searched my face cautiously. “You probably think that’s weird, don’t you?” she said.

“No,” I replied, “I’ve read about and been told things like this before, and I’m very convinced that God intervened in your situation, spoke to you, and saved your life.”

She agreed.

Later I began to think about how often this does happen and how embarrassed people are to recite such incidents to others, lest we think them “weird” or worse yet “religious nuts.” Imagine if all the people to whom such things had happened were to go on television, on the nightly news and recount their tales and night after night, day after day, there was a series of such interviews. Wouldn’t we find it more interesting, more inspiring and faith-and-joy building than what we do get treated to that is called news? Wouldn't be begin to believe such things, be more accepting of their occurrence? Wouldn’t we find ourselves in awe, first of all with how consistently involved God truly is with the human race and how many are His random acts of kindness? Thinking about this reminded me again of the character quality I love most about God – His humility. Though He gets badmouthed constantly and blamed for every thing that goes wrong (usually as a result of human choice), He doesn’t explain or justify, just goes about doing good, raining on the just and unjust alike, finding, apparently great pleasure in this kind of one-on-one secret, special, interaction. He doesn't find it necessary to toot His own horn apparently, knowing as He does the reluctance of the recipients of such rescue to tell others.

The results of such an experience are usually mixed, I find. Some people, like this woman, feel that it was a God-thing, but others remain doubtful and may attach another type of interpretation. Still, even then, there is a bit of a sense of wonderment that bleeds through, a softened perspective and attitude. I know that for me personally, whenever I’m touched in such a way, I’m left different than I was, less full of myself and my own solutions to life, and filled with a bit more gratitude for the extension of time I’ve been given to continue this marvelous adventure called life on earth. In addition, I emerge minus some of the fear and random anxiety that can stalk me like a mountain lion if I let it. I’m more inclined to walk right up to those enemies of my soul and face them down.

I’d love to hear some of your stories and maybe I’ll tell some of mine in future posts – as long as you promise not to think I’m “weird.”

Until then, blessings.
Carol