On July 26, 2018,
Bethany Hatfield went to Walmart to purchase some grocery items and a few
things for her incoming students in her elementary class at school. Bethany buys extra clothes for the students
in her room to use in case of an accident or if they are inappropriately
dressed for a change in temperature. As
she was checking out, the cashier commented on the great price of the jeans she
was purchasing. Ms. Hatfield agreed and
proceeded to tell the cashier she was buying the extra clothing items to keep
in her classroom and why. Bethany paid
for the purchase and was loading her bags in the cart when she felt a tap on
her shoulder. A woman, whom she had
never met, tried to give her money to pay for additional items for her
students. At first Bethany refused, but
Sharon finally convinced her that she wanted to be part of the blessing for her
students, too. After loading the
shopping bags in her car, Ms. Hatfield then checked her pocket and found out
that Sharon had given her $50 to purchase additional items for her
students. In writing a response to what
happened, Bethany stated, “God led me to this profession and I try each day to
be obedient to that calling…. Today,
tho, today I was reminded why I do my job and that there are great people in
the world. I work each day to try and
shape children into good people. People
like Sharon. Thank you Sharon for what you
did for me and my students today. Today
you financially provided my students with pants, shirts, shoes, socks, and
underwear. The biggest blessing was that
you provided me with hope and a reminder why I’m following my calling.”
David grew up in
Nebraska. For decades, his relatives had
owned and farmed the land. One day, without
the consent of the family, a relative sold the 80 acres that had belonged to
their ancestors. David and his father
decided they were going to try to do whatever they could to one day purchase
the land again. When the acreage finally
appeared on the auction list, David and his father spent days trying to figure
out how they could afford to buy the old family land. The day of the auction arrived and about 200
farmers showed up. Feeling they would
never win the bid, because of all the interest, they still had faith and
decided to carry on with the plan. It
was time for the bidding. When the
previously owned family acreage was announced, David and his father opened with
a bid. They waited. And then waited some more. The 200 farmers remained silent. Due to no more action on the bidding, the
auctioneer made a strike with the gavel guaranteeing they had won the bid. The article concluded with, “This is an
example of the true power of kindness and considering the interests of others
over your own.”
These two stories bring
to life what Paul wrote about in Philippians 2:4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your
own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” What an amazing difference it would make
if we, too, made heart choices to show kindness in the opportunities we
encounter.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing.”
I Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore
if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort
from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and
compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same
love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition
or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking
to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.
Philippians
2:1-4
Dear
children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18
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