Have you ever had a bad day? I mean a day that just progressively goes from bad to worse. You wake up to find that you have overslept. As you rush out of bed, you stub your toe on the dresser. You finally head to work only to get stuck in the worse traffic jam. By the time, you make it to the office, you are in no mood to hear that your boss noticed your absence in the mandatory meeting and wants to meet with you later. Your phone is ringing off the hook and everyone seems to have a complaint. You make it to lunch, only to realize you forgot your wallet in your haste to get out of the door. By 5PM, you are ready to explode with frustration and anger. You make it home to finally unwind and prepare a quick dinner only to realize you forgot a few ingredients. You rush to the store, grab your short list of items and stand in what seems like to longest line ever for the express checkout. You make it to the cashier, who greets you with the warmest smile and asks how your day had been. You manage a semi-friendly smile and respond. As the cashier is bagging your groceries, you pull out your wallet to pay. The cashier smiles and says "Don't worry about the total. It's already been taken care of for you. The lady in front of you asked to pay for your groceries, just because. Hope you have a great day."
You walk away in amazement, still wondering what just happened. A complete stranger paid for his groceries, just because. No strings attached. No gimmick. Just a random act of kindness. You drive home rewinding your day in your head and laugh to yourself. Despite how bad the day started out, someone took it upon themselves to try to make someone's day a bit brighter.
As we go about our day, we never really know what impact we have on the people we encounter. Asking a stranger if they need prayer, inviting a co-worker to lunch, or simply giving a warm, friendly smile can make a huge difference in someone's day. Every day is an opportunity to change someone's day or life for the better. That very co-worker you invited to lunch may be in need of a listening ear because of a personal crisis. You sharing God's love by buying a meal and having a good conversation could be exactly what they needed to know that life will get better. Asking that stranger if they need prayer maybe that very confirmation they need to know that God does still hear their prayers and they have not been forgotten.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/08/04/pennsylvania.kindness.project/index.html?hpt=C1
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