SUNDAY SERMON - KINDNESS & LEMONADE My wife and I just got back from a Sunday morning drive, exploring some remote roads that we have never seen in our area. After not seeing another car, bicyclist, or walker for over an hour we passed by a number of historic old homesteads and farms that seemed to light years removed from town. In what seemed like the middle of nowhere, we passed a lemonade stand at the end of a dirt driveway leading to an old cottage in the woods. Sitting on his mothers lap, a boy who couldnt have been more than four or five years old, smiled and waved as we passed. Unprepared for the human contact and pop-up entrepreneurship in the country, we didnt have time to wave back. What an odd place for a lemonade stand, my wife mentioned, I cant imagine business is booming. She didnt say a word, but just smiled as I pulled over the car and u-turned back to house. As we nosed into the driveway, it was clear that the mom was more pleasantly surprised and happy to see a customer than her son was. Are we too late, I asked as I got out of the car, do you have any lemonade left? Gently prodding her son to be the spokesman for the family business, the shy boy eventually replied, We arent out, youre our first people that stopped. We were actually just about to pack it up for the day, the mom added. What? my wife asked enthusiastically. They must not have known how good it is? Maybe, he replied. Last week nobody even bought any! Well, we know better, dont we? Well take two, I said, placing my order. Over the next half hour, two became four and four became six. Before we knew it, our dogs were invited out of our car to play with their dog in the field out back. We all talked about the weather, and soccer, and movies. When is the last time you took your mom to a movie? asked my wife. What? I dont take my mom to movies. She takes me to movies. I dont even drive yet, he replied with a case of the giggles. Well you have made enough money from all of this lemonade today to take your mom to a movie shed want to see, right? she asked as we walked back to our car. I dunno, he said as his mom shot us a questioning look. Maybe you should take her out to dinner, too? I added. As we backed out of the driveway, we watched as the mom found the fifty dollar bill I snuck into the jar while nobody was looking. As she looked up, we could see the happy tears flowing down her cheeks as she held her hand over her heart and mouthed thank you as we all waved goodbye. MY POINT? I dont tell this story to bring attention to myself, but - to remind others to give themselves credit for the kindness they are responsible in the world. The religious do not hold a monopoly on kindness, and even as a Christian I found it quite insulting whenever someone would suggest that without the Bible, there would be no innate desire to good for others. Yet, in churches around the country this morning, verses like the following passage are being taught... The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good. - Psalms 14:1 Well, I may not believe in God, but I do try to do good from time to time. For no other reason than to see the smile on another persons face. If you think you need a Bible to teach you how to love your fellow man, you might not be giving yourself enough credit. P.S. That $50 that I had to give was because of fans who have bought our little book. I simply paid it forward. So, thank YOU for making a young boy and his mom smile today. It is because of you that a cute little boy is taking his mom on a playdate tonight - I hope they have a great time. I should also give other credit where it is due - to my lovely wife. We are not wealthy at all. Im a struggling unemployed author, shes going back to school for a complete career change. I had the $50 in my wallet because we had a much-needed date night planned this evening. Yet, as we drove away, she didnt object to me giving away our date money. Instead, she silently held my hand, leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I found a good one... ;-)
Posted on: Sun, 01 Jun 2014 19:16:25 +0000