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| BRANDED COWBOY CHURCH MINISTRIES Renee's Hitchin Post |
Title: Acts of Kindness
This young man was driving home one evening, on a two lane country road. Work in
this small mid-western community was almost as slow as his beat-up Pontiac, but he
never quit looking. Ever since the factory closed, he'd been unemployed, and with
winter coming on, the chill had finally hit home.
It was a lonely road. Not very many people had a reason to be on it, unless they were
leaving. Most of his friends had already left. They had families to feed and dreams to
fulfill, but he stayed on. After all, this was where he buried his mother and father. He
was born here and he knew the country. He could go down this road blind, and tell
you what was on either side, and with his headlights not working , this came in handy.
It was starting to get dark and light snow flurries were coming down. He'd better get a
move on. You know, he almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the
road. But even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up
in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he
approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help, for the
last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe. He looked poor and
hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew
how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help
you Ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is
Bryan."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan
crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time
or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands
hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to
talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing
through.
She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed
her trunk. She asked him how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all
right with her. She had already imagined all the awful things that could have
happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about the money. This was not a job to him. This was
helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a
hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to
act any other way. He told her if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she
saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance that they
needed, and Bryan added "...and think of me." He waited until she started her car and
drove off.
It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home,
disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat,
and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy
looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar
to her. The cash register was like the telephone of an out of work actor, it didn't ring
much.
Her waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a
sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase.
The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never
let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone
who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.
Then she remembered Bryan. . .
After the lady finished her meal, and the waitress went to get change for a hundred
dollar bill, the lady slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress
came back. She wondered where the lady could be, then she noticed something
written on the napkin under which were 4 one-hundred dollar bills. There were tears in
her eyes when she read what the lady wrote. It said: "You don't owe me anything, I
have been there too. Somebody once helped me out the way I'm helping you. If you
really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with
you."
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the
waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and
climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.
How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the
baby due next month, it was going to be hard.
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave
him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right - I love
you, Bryan."