I may have written on this theme before.  But, as I write, I'm up some 30,000 plus feet in the air somewhere over Arizona or New Mexico, and don't have the ability to access the archives to determine if this is a repeat musing.  Moreover, I don't really care if it is.  You see, I truly believe this is one of the most important topics we can muse about, so I may be apt to repeat myself often.

My sweet husband surprised me with an anniversary trip out West.  And anytime I'm outside of the insular little world I live in, I'm bombarded time and again with examples of how we do and how we don't exhibit Christ to others.

Be it how we behave in slow and snaking airport security lines or whether we pay attention to those around us when we're moving around in bustling and crowded places.  Sometimes the "me first" attitude displayed by others can really become overwhelmingly irritating.  "Who made you more important than me?!?!?" I want to shout.  And sometimes I want to push back, or retort back, or growl back in response.  Turning the other cheek can be a hard task, and one, I admit, I find challenging to do at times.

But on the flip side, there's the contagious nature of kindness.  Nothing shines Christ's love more than a simple gesture of kindness.  Not done to impress.  Not done to get ahead.  Not done for any personal gain, other than the gloriously fulfilling byproduct that feeds one's soul when selflessly offering a kindness to another.

We checked out of the hotel this morning, snagged a cab and raced to the airport to catch this flight.  It was a hectic scene, and as we stood in the check-in line, I realized I didn't have my purse.  It was in the cab, which was long gone, and we had no idea of the name of the driver or the number of the cab.  Aside from the hassle of losing my purse, my cell phone, the cash inside, credit cards, etc., there was the whole issue of how I would be able to board a plane with no identification.  It was in the purse, too.

Panic started to set in.  After several attempts to seek out our driver, we found folks just not interested in helping.  This "not my problem, Lady" mentality was really stressing me out.

Since I'm writing from the plane, I assume you know how it worked out.  It took a simple act of kindness by one person, who gave us the taxi dispatcher's number.  Then, that kind dispatcher willingly offered to page the drivers.  And the driver who had dropped us off then kindly offered to race back to the airport, found the frantic me, and handed me my purse.  He didn't seem hassled or bothered or irritated, but just genuinely pleased that he was able to reunite me with my belongings and help me get home.

In the big scheme of the world, this was no horrific crisis and no monumental act of selflessness.  But to me, it was huge on both accounts.

Let's be huge to one another, friends.  Simple the kindness, great the reward.

Grace and peace to you as you journey.

Yours in Christ,  

~~Jennifer

10/24/06

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