Thursday, June 9, 2011

#36 Crossed off - Pay it Forward

I put on my list that I wanted to 'Pay it Forward.'  While I feel I can now cross that off my list, I also feel like this is something I should continue to do for the rest of my life.  I hope I remember the great feeling I had knowing that I made someone's day just by a small act of kindness.

One of my life's goals is to live my life as an example to others of what a Christian looks like though my actions, words and overall attitude.  One way I did this was by picking up people's coffee in Dunkin Donuts' and Starbucks' drive thrus.  When I would go to pay I would tell the cashier to give me the bill for the person behind me and then I handed them an envelope to give to the next driver.  In the envelope was a simple message:

Outside:  You are special... Smile!

Inside:  You have just been tagged.  Someone reached out to you with a random act of kindness.  Now it's your chance to do the same.  Do something nice for someone.  Leave this card behind and keep the spirit going!

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.


I hope this can be a reminder to me that these actions help me feel closer to God, more connected to the other people around me, and humble me with the financial security I have been provided.


****Update****  I was with a co-worker going through the Starbucks drive through and went to go pay for our coffees when I saw another envelope sitting in my purse.  I took it as a sign and offered to pay for the coffees in the car behind me.  The next morning I looked on facebook and saw that a good friend of mine went to get coffee at the same Starbucks I was at and that the person in front of her bought her coffee and yogurt.  Now, there is no way to know for sure if it was the same person I treated 'paying it forward' but it felt great to know that there were others out there who felt the urge to give the same way I did.  I love watching God at work!