The Best Kindness...

When my grandpa was in the ICU and things weren’t looking very good for him, my grandma went down to the hospital cafeteria for lunch. She was by herself and I imagine she looked stressed and upset, as she had a lot weighing heavily on her. As she went to pay for her food, she was told by the cashier that she didn’t owe anything. When she asked why not, she was told that a young lady across from her had paid for her meal.

Grandma quickly realized that she recognized this person and that she was the nurse who had moved Grandpa from his regular room down to ICU when things got worse for him a few days before. The nurse said she remembered her and wanted to know how Grandpa was doing and that she was praying for them, so she and Grandma sat and had a chat.

When Grandma got on the phone to tell me about this later that afternoon, I could tell in her voice how big of an impact this act of kindness had on her. This sweet nurse who sees a ton of patients and happened to recognize the wife of a man that she had helped care for, made such a difference in her heart that day. When things were looking grim and hope was hard to find, this nurse chose to be the hands and feet of Christ and lift Grandma’s spirits just by showing that she cared enough to reach out and then commit to pray for her.

So next time you feel the nudge to reach out to someone, remember what a difference the little things can make and how quickly it can remind someone of God’s love and care for their life and for those around them. Don’t ignore that prompting…you never know what battle someone is fighting and how much they may need your example of love in that moment...