Our world has become more and more self-centered, and unfortunately, it has even crept into our “Christian” world.
The mantra of so many has become “it’s all about me.” We may not say it out loud, but our actions say something completely different.
Welcome to a brand new week of Freedom Fighters. We can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement as you dial in each day to read the blogs written by our team. It means so much to all of us when you take the time to send an email or text thanking the team for their contributions.
A number of years ago, someone came up with the idea to start doing “random acts of kindness.” Initially, it was something you did for someone anonymously as a way to encourage them.
Over the years, it has morphed into all kinds of cool ideas from “Pass It On” to “Pay It Forward.” Whether you do it anonymously or do it to surprise someone, a random act of kindness can make a difference in someone’s life.
We are in Minnesota with our kids for the week, and on Saturday, our grandson Wyatt blew us away with a random act of kindness. We had been out playing mini-golf, and our son-in-law, Jonathan, took us to the Souix Falls version of Chick-Fil-A. The restaurant is called Slim Chickens.
The young man behind the counter was one of the politest, friendliest young men I have seen serving in a restaurant in a long time. He was energetic, over-the-top helpful, and appeared to really enjoy his job. He went out of his way to make us feel special.
He not only took our order, but he delivered it to the table. He was everywhere. He was even excited that they had gone through so much lemonade on his shift and was joyfully filling the lemonade dispenser.
We all thanked him for his great service. As we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, our grandson came over and said, “He did a really great job. I went over and gave him a $10 tip!” I was completely blown away as Wyatt is only 11. I was so proud of him and thanked him for such a kind gesture. My guess is that young man serving was blown away with this young kid’s random act of kindness.
It was a great reminder to me that I need to be more diligent in doing what Wyatt did. Maybe it isn’t giving someone a random tip (but maybe it is). I am sure if we put our heads together, we could create a list of ways that we could do this that would shout out to the world that as believers, we really do want to love other with the love of Christ.
When was the last time that you sent a note to your Pastor, your worship leader, or your youth group leader thanking them for their ministry?
When was the last time that you saw someone in the military or a police officer, or fireman or first responder and thanked them for their service.
When we fly, Jan and I make it a point to thank the people serving us at security. It’s funny to see the expressions on their faces when you say something as simple as “Thank you for keeping us safe!”
Maybe it’s giving someone a bigger tip than normal for extraordinary service.
I would love to hear some of how you encourage others along the way. If you share them, I will share them in a future Freedom Fighter blog.
It seems to me that this is a great way to demonstrate to the world that we care and that we appreciate those who serve.
Paul exhorted us with these words in 1 Thessalonians 5:
Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you[a] in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle,[b] comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
I’d love to hear from you. Have a blessed week.
Undivided: By Christ, in Christ, For Christ,
Bill Welte, President/CEO
America’s Keswick
Written by Bill Welte: President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his childhood sweetheart for 40+ years and has four married kids and 12 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.
