The Joys of Paying it Forward

Has God ever answered one of your prayers in an amazing way? I mean, in a truly a-m-a-z-i-n-g way?

The first sun-shiny day we had in the midst of a long stretch of miserable rain and cold, my hubby invited me to go shopping with him. As we headed out of town on the stoplight-riddled state road, he decided to turn into the “Golden Arches” for coffee. But a man in a behemoth ebony truck swerved in front of us as we pulled into line. We thought it was probably an accident or the man hadn’t been thinking clearly when he cut us off. Hubby backed up and let the guy in. When the man glanced back at us in his rearview mirror, my hubby gave him a thumb’s up—as in, “It’s okay, accidents happen,” but as we reached the cashier window, the lady handed Hubby his coffee and added, “No charge. The guy in the truck paid for your coffee.”

I can’t express what that tiny act of kindness meant to my hubby. It was unexpected; it only cost pennies because Hubby had ordered a small cup, but that kind act made him smile for a good part of the day. Later, I said a prayer—“Dear Lord, help us to pay that kindness forward. Show us how we can brighten another person’s day.”

Two days later, I experienced a major “God moment.”

That’s the only way I can explain it. We had gone to Grand Rapids again—to Macy’s—it’s one of my favorite places to shop. I found a collared shirt I wanted to purchase, and then, I searched for a check-out counter. They were all empty–no cashiers in any direction. I stumbled upon a hard-to-find saleslady, who was buried behind a stack of clothes, and I inquired where I could purchase my item. She pointed around the corner. To my surprise, the line was several customers deep. I stepped behind a gal, maybe in her early thirties, who had an outfit in her dark hands. Dreadlocks cascaded down her back.

The young gal seemed excited and filled with joy while she held up her outfit several times to inspect it as she slowly inched toward the coveted spot of “next in line.” Unable to stand still, she walked to the check-out counter while the cashier finished waiting on the lady before her. Instead of getting directly behind the customer at the counter, the young gal moved to the side and began trying on the extra-large black top and matching pair of pants she’d been carrying. She donned them over her clothes. I didn’t bat an eye. She didn’t appear to be trying to steal them. To me it was obvious she wanted to make sure they fit. Satisfied that they were the right size, she did a happy dance, shooting her leg out to the side. Her excitement made me chuckle under my breath. But she lost her balance during the awkward leg maneuver, and she and her dreadlocks fell to the side.

Likety-split, she made a quick recovery and made it appear that she had planned that little blooper all along. I could see the sparkle in her eyes when she glanced around to see if anyone noticed her blunder.

Her turn to pay finally arrived. She hurried up to the one and only cashier, and she said, “I found these on the sixty-percent-off sales rack, so they shouldn’t cost too much.”

The expressionless cashier scanned the two items. “That will be $35,” she said matter-of-factly.

“There has to be a mistake,” the young lady said. “It’s supposed to be sixty percent off.”

“It costs $35 with the discount,” the stoic cashier said.

The young lady stood there with her mouth open for what seemed like a full minute, as though she couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “I really need this badly,” she blubbered. “I just had a baby, and I’m starting a new job. I really need this job, and I don’t have any nice clothes.” Tears began filling her eyes. I could see them as she glanced back at the line, obviously worried about holding up the rest of us.

The young girl’s shock and her intense sadness caused tears to overflow from my eyes as well. I had to wipe them away. The cashier tossed the girl’s clothes to the far side of the counter and shouted, “Next!” The young lady started walking away with her head down. All the joy I’d seen while she tried on the clothes had been sucked out of her. She looked one last time at the clothes that were now out of her reach.

She’d barely walked ten feet from the cashier when I heard someone holler: “I’ll pay for it! I’ll buy it for her!” I looked around. It was me. I had said it. I hadn’t even thought about it or contemplated it. God had pushed me. The words came bursting out of my mouth. Have you ever had that happen—where you felt an overwhelming push to do something? So you did it and you scratched your head.

The young lady came rushing back to the counter. “Are you sure?” she said to me. “Why would you do that for me?”

“Because I’m a Christian and because someone did a kind deed for my hubby.”

The girl hugged me multiple times. “I hope it’s okay if I hug you,” she said about three hugs too late. “I just had a baby and I need clothes so badly. I have a new job. I start on Monday. I really need it to work out for me.”

I hugged her back. “God bless you,” I said. “Just be nice to someone in return. Pay it forward.”

The girl was overjoyed with excitement. She gave me two more hugs before she left the cashier. I must say that by then, I was crying tears of joy, and so were the cashier and the people in line behind me. And the young girl wiped her face and carried off her prize while sporting the biggest grin I’d seen on a young person in a long time.

“I just can’t believe you did that for a stranger,” the cashier said.

“I’m a Christian,” I replied. “I’m glad I could help someone in need.”

Such a simple act of kindness could put a spark in our marriages, our mates, and in strangers around the world.

We all need little acts of kindness in our lives. There are plenty of things we can do to show God’s amazing love. Simple things like offering forgiveness when someone doesn’t deserve it; extending a huge hug–just because; letting our mates choose the movie to see or select what’s for dinner. The list could go on and on. Simple unexpected acts of kindness can make huge differences in the lives of people who are having a bad day, or who are so poor they need one kind act as the catalyst to move them out of poverty, or to prevent them from contemplating suicide because no one cares. We never know what kind of domino effect our simple act of kindness might trigger.

Be the light that will lead someone out of their darkness or that will flip a relationship from sorrow to joy— be that light of Jesus in a hurting world.