Chris' Christian Blog

August 27, 2019

"August 27, 2019" 

"Prompt: What kinds of things or actions can be considered as gifts of love? Have you ever received such gifts?"

For me, the biggest acts of love occur when somebody has the fortitude to tell me I am acting inappropriately. I am a recovered addict. The disease of addiction is still very much alive and well in me. I can easily slip into addictive, insane behavior and not realize I have done so. Others can see the warning signs long before I do. An act of love to me is having the fortitude too tell me I am off the mark and acting in a way that is wrong. Others see my behavior long before it becomes apparent to me. I have accountability partners for that very reason.

"Prompt: Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. ~ Jack Canfield
Write about a random act of kindness or a senseless act of beauty."

The snow came down within minutes. 21 inches fell the first hour. We had not seen anything like it before. I grabbed a snow shovel and headed out. I shoveled many sidewalks and worked my way slowly to her house. She was an old friend who lived by herself. She would have been unable to shovel the snow herself. I did not want her to see me shovel it because I knew she could not afford to pay for the job, but would be too proud to accept charity. I worked quickly, moving several feet of snow. Please Lord don't let her catch me. I finished without being noticed and walked away. Her door opened and she called out. "You get over here so I can pay you!"

I told her I did not want paid but she would have no part of it. "Okay, I said. In payment I'll take a glass of that sweet tea you make and we'll call it even."

She gave me the tea but insisted on paying cash. Finally I said "Instead of paying me, how about you do something very kind and without the knowledge of somebody else. That is all the payment I will accept."

A week later her neighbor was in the local store wondering where the delicious pie she found on her table had come from. We never locked our doors so somebody had taken a pie in and left it on her table without her knowledge. I simply grinned. Mission successful!