Generosity

It was a night like any other night. I was out visiting some of my bus kids making sure they would be riding my bus to Sunday School on Sunday. I was in a part of town no one would go, but I went gladly. It was what they called a bad neighborhood and told me if you go be out of there before it gets dark. Well, it was dark before I went but I went anyways. I talked to a lot of people that night and now it was time to go home. I went to my car and guess what it didn’t start. Then all of a sudden a man appeared he told me to pop the hood so I did. He looked and then started pulling wires off; I just stood there and watched. He then looked up at me and asked if I had a certain part. I said I think so; I never got rid of anything. I went to the trunk and sure enough there was that part. I gave it to the man and then he put all my wires back on and told me to start it up. I turned the key and it started right up. I thanked the man and then asked him “how much do I owe you.” He said you don’t owe me anything preach. You the one that comes and gets my little girl every Sunday. That has been a long time ago but I still remember that night in a part of town I was told not to go, that a man I didn’t know showed me an act of kindness. Abraham’s servant was asked to go to Abraham’s country and get a wife for his son, Isaac. So off he goes when he arrives it is evening and it’s at the time when the women go to draw water. There is a young lady there waiting her time to draw water, after she draws water she starts back home with her jar of water on her shoulder. That is when Abraham’s servant approaches her and asks for a drink. Without any hesitation she lowers her jar and gives him a drink and he drinks and drinks. Then this young lady saw the need for this man’s camels and she begins to water them also. Little did that young lady know that on that night that act of generosity would change her life as well as the lives of so many other people forever. You read about this young lady by the name of Rebekah in Genesis chapter 24. What is so interesting to me is that Rebekah was generous, not with just giving a little of herself but she also gave water for the camels of a man she didn’t even know. As I think about Rebekah I have to ask myself this question “Am I willing to give my time and talents as well as my treasures to those I don’t know?”  Then I have to come face to face with my actions; do I do things expecting something in return or do I do them expecting nothing in return. Rebekah didn’t expect anything in return. She never did it knowing what would happen to her in the future, she just did what she could at a time of need.  Today each one of us will have an opportunity to do some kind act of generosity for someone we don’t even know. It may be just letting them over because they have gotten in the wrong lane. It may be that you see that they are in a hurry and you let them in front of you in line at the grocery store. It could be something as simple as taking the time to push your grocery cart to the proper place so it doesn’t have an opportunity to roll into someone else’s car causing damage after you leave. It might be reaching down and picking up a candy bar at the checkout line and then giving in to the cashier while smiling at them telling them to eat it on their break time. There are so many ways we can each show kind acts of unselfishness and generosity to others and who knows how God may use you to change someone else’s life today.