Even an apparently small act of kindness can have great consequences. Over a hundred years ago a young man became so sick he was admitted to a sanitarium, which was in those days the name for a nursing home where incurable patients rested until the end. The young man became so weak that one night he was certain he would not survive until dawn. He wrote to his wife:
"When morning came, I felt as if...darkness was all about me. I was utterly without hope. Blackness was in my mind."
It was Sunday morning. Someone had gathered a group of patients to sing hymns. The young man writes, "...from far down the hall I heard singing, heard the sound of a hymn. They were singing the song, 'God Will Take Care of You.' I listened and suddenly something inside me broke: I yielded myself to God. I said to Him, 'I can do nothing. Please take care of me...'"
The letter continues, "The darkness went away. It was as if someone had thrown back the curtains and turned on every light in the place. The room was filled with radiance. In my mind, in my heart everything was new. I was happy. I experienced an inflow of power such as I never knew was possible."
The name of the person who gathered the patients at that sanitarium and led the hymns one morning so long ago is lost to history. It was a random act of kindness. Perhaps by a staff member or hospital chaplain. Perhaps a visiting clergyman. We don't know. But we do know the name of the young man--J.C. Penny. He revived and survived to create a great chain of stores across America before his death at age 96.
We may never know the outcome when God uses us to bless people. We become, so to speak, God's secret agents, subverting the everyday world by random acts of kindness and drive-by explosions of love.
"When morning came, I felt as if...darkness was all about me. I was utterly without hope. Blackness was in my mind."
It was Sunday morning. Someone had gathered a group of patients to sing hymns. The young man writes, "...from far down the hall I heard singing, heard the sound of a hymn. They were singing the song, 'God Will Take Care of You.' I listened and suddenly something inside me broke: I yielded myself to God. I said to Him, 'I can do nothing. Please take care of me...'"
The letter continues, "The darkness went away. It was as if someone had thrown back the curtains and turned on every light in the place. The room was filled with radiance. In my mind, in my heart everything was new. I was happy. I experienced an inflow of power such as I never knew was possible."
The name of the person who gathered the patients at that sanitarium and led the hymns one morning so long ago is lost to history. It was a random act of kindness. Perhaps by a staff member or hospital chaplain. Perhaps a visiting clergyman. We don't know. But we do know the name of the young man--J.C. Penny. He revived and survived to create a great chain of stores across America before his death at age 96.
We may never know the outcome when God uses us to bless people. We become, so to speak, God's secret agents, subverting the everyday world by random acts of kindness and drive-by explosions of love.
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Your Theo-Blog "Flying $20" Church for the Month for April-May is
Unity Southeast
3421 East Meyer Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64132
If you feel called by Spirit to support this small but vibrant ministry, send $20 to the above address.
