I went through the longest Starbucks line the other morning, I can recall. When I got to the window, I asked the barista if that location is always this busy, or was it because of pumpkin spice? She said she hadn’t thought about it, but it could be the pumpkin.
They were slammed. So I said, “Well, you’re handling this really well for it to be so crazy!”
She replied, “thank you, but I feel really frazzled. Frazzled and … incomplete.”
I said, “I can understand that. But I know what would complete you!”
She looked at me, laughed and said, “Please tell me!”
Me, “Jesus. Just Jesus. He’s the only thing or person who will ever complete you.”
She told me, “I wish I could come out and hug you right now. Thank you for that. That’s what my mom would tell me. I needed that reminder so much. Thank you. You changed my perspective for today, and believe me, I needed it.”
For all I knew, she could have said, “Nope. I’m an atheist.” But instead, she needed a Jesus loving sister to just come by and say, “Hey. Jesus is your answer.”
She then said to me, “I’m really sorry you have had to wait so long!” I told her it wasn’t a problem and it gave me the opportunity to chat with her.
What she said next broke my heart. She said, “Thank you for being so kind to me and for not yelling at us. It’s been a really bad morning, and almost everyone has yelled. I know it’s frustrating when people have to wait, and I’m sorry. But really, thank you for being so kind to me.”
Y’all, I wasn’t that kind to her. I didn’t pay off her car, or anything like that. I didn’t bring her a dozen roses. I didn’t bring her wine and chocolate.
I simply didn’t yell at her. And I chatted with her.
Is that where our world is now? That simply being nice to a stranger makes you “so kind?”
Church, we need to do better. We ought not shock someone with our kindness.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” - John 13:34 (NLT)
I read something the other day that really broke my heart. It said “Robin Williams killed himself, and we all said, “If only he had reached out for help.” And Heath Ledger killed himself, and we all said, “If only he had reached out for help.” But then Simone Biles reached out for help, and she was ruthlessly attacked by some of the most powerful people in the world. And this is why people would rather commit suicide than ask for help.”
This is fifty shades of wrong, y’all. All kinds of messed up, wrong.
And it’s on us.
We have got to call people out when they are unkind. We have to speak up to the bullies, and defend the underdog. We have to give people a sense of confidence to say, “hey, I’m not okay,” and know they will be met with support and love, not anger and vitriol.
A little kindness could go an awfully long way to help someone’s day. And in that day being changed, their week could change. And it becomes a domino effect. Kindness upon kindness upon kindness.
It shouldn’t be so hard to not be a jerk. It shouldn’t be so extraordinary, simply talking to someone at a drive thru window, and making them realize they matter more than a long wait.
Jesus told us to love one another. I know I’ve been saying that a lot lately, but I think we could all use the reminder. The world around us is so sadly broken. Our kindness can be some glue for someone else’s broken pieces.
And then we will show them, Jesus.