One Random Act of Kindness Can Change to World

More than 25 years ago I heard a story that had a profound effect on my life. It was a story told by a professional story teller. His name you will remember as Mr. Paul Harvey.

The story takes place in a small town in the Midwest during the depression years. I like the think that it may have one of the small towns around where Mr. Harvey grew up and that he may have known the characters personally.

It seems that an old gentleman came to a new town and opened a new general store. Most of the townspeople would probably admit that the new guy had a better selection of merchandise and that his prices were a little better but they preferred to shop at the original store. After all this was an outsider and if you’ve ever lived in a small town then you know how cruel they can be to outsiders. In addition, he was different, he was Jewish.

There was lots of talk about Jewish people in those days. It was the depression era and many had no money and maybe there was some resentment toward the rich and maybe the Jewish people were thought to be the rich.

One fall afternoon, the old shopkeeper stood in his doorway looking down the street. There wasn’t much business because of the local attitude and the fact that no one had any money. It was not a cold fall day but it was too cool for one of the two boys walking down the street to be bare footed. So he called them to his store and wouldn’t let them leave until the one boy had found some new shoes and warm socks. The boy kept saying that he had no money. Finally the old shopkeeper told him that he should keep the shoes and if someday he had money he could pay him, if not then that was ok too but no one should go through a cold winter without shoes. So the boys left and we don’t hear anymore about the old shopkeeper.

But we see the boys again a few years later. They are aboard a troop carrier moving north through Italy toward the German lines. It is during World War II. At one point the caravan stopped and the men got out stretching their legs. Next to the road was an old church with an old priest and several nuns. They were supervising a lot of young kids. One of the boys approached the priest and found out that these kids had been hidden from the Nazis because they were Jewish. Further, they no longer knew where their parents were and to make matters worse, there was no more food to give them.

About that time the horn sounded and all the men reloaded the truck and left. They did not go far before they stopped for the night. But one of the boys could not sleep. Finally he woke his friend and convinced him to help. They quietly snuck out of camp; stole a truck and broke into supply where they loaded the truck with food. Mr. Harvey in his usual fashion detailed how many hundreds of pounds of this and that that they loaded.

Then the boys were discovered and arrested. They were in a lot of trouble. They could be sentenced to death for their crimes but they managed to talk the military into helping them to deliver the food and to keep the priest supplied. Further, they talked the military into helping to locate the parents. As they were unloading the truck the old priest blessed the young man saying that he had the love of God within him. But the young man said in response; “Do not thank me but instead thank the old Jewish gentleman back home who taught me the true meaning of love.

Sometimes an opportunity comes along where we can change the lives of others. This is the true meaning of humility and love; thinking of someone other than ourselves. The old Jewish shopkeeper never knew what impact his act of kindness accomplished but a distant cousin in heaven knows and remembers all our acts; good and bad. One random act of kindness helped an entire group of homeless children. You and I might consider performing one random act of kindness. We too may never know the implications of our actions but we can know that God will use our kindness to change the world if we would only cooperate with him.

What would happen if we convenience those at our Church to do this on a regular basis? With happen that the Church would develop a reputation? Certainly, it would. Would it change your life or mine? Yes, it would.

What would happen if other churches then began to practice this and then maybe the town? Would it change the hearts of the people? Yes it would. It would change the world.