Purposeful Kindness and Meaningful Acts of Beauty

I had just finished writing an article on why we as the body of Christ are to be engaged in good deeds, why we should serve in our community, and why we should help those in need. I pushed the “save” button, ran out to the car, and raced home..
After being cooped up all day in the office, I changed my clothes, jumped on my bike, and I was going to break loose. A ten and a half mile loop down Lusted and then back up Dodge Park Road – right on Pleasant Home and back down Lusted through the stop sign on 302nd and back to the top of our drive-way. I was going to break my record. I was feeling it.
I pushed the stop-watch button and I was off. 13 and a half minutes later I turned right on Dodge Park - 10 seconds ahead of world record pace. As I raced up the hill – I noticed a guy with a mohawk talking on a cell phone standing next to his motorcycle on the side of the road. I was in route to a new world record and there was no time to stop to see if he needed anything – which of course with a cell phone – he didn’t – and with lungs screaming, I blew on by at break-neck speed.

Suddenly, the story of the Good Samaritan popped into my head. Imagine that, I - a “pastor” - am blowing by a guy on the side of the road, and of all stories – the good Samaritan pops into my head. And wasn’t there just recently article on this subject somewhere – oh yeah, I had just written one - on why we do good deeds. Ouch.

There would no world record today. I turn around.

I find out the guy had run out of gas and could not get a hold of anyone on his cell. I told him it would take me about 12 minutes to get home (at world record pace) and I would be back in about 25 minutes with some gas. He was so thankful.
I am off.
As I rode home, I thought about what I written a few hours earlier. “We don’t practice random acts of kindness – we have purpose in what we do. That Christ’s name be lifted up.” “If I - Jonathan - accept the thanks for an act of Kindness – then Jonathan’s name gets glorified. And a lot of good that does everyone! If, however, Jesus gets the credit – somebody might forever see our Savior in a different light.”
Suddenly this act of kindness was not at all about me. It was about Jesus. It was about letting this guy see Jesus for who he really is – a servant who truly loves this guy.
I got home and found I had just enough gas in my two gallon container to perhaps get this guy to the gas station. “Should be enough”, I think. But wait – now that it this is about Jesus’ name - “Hey, let’s get lavish and fill the whole two gallon container. At the gas station: “Wait now that this is about Jesus name – this guy might be thirsty. Let’s get the guy a coke. 16 ounce. No that is Jonathan. 32 ounce – ice cold – now that’s Jesus.”
This is getting exciting. I will, when he thanks me, direct that thanks to Jesus. After all it was Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan that turned me around. In that very real way, I can tell him it was Jesus that turned me around to help him. This is going to be fun.

I pull up next to him. “Wow, man - you are the only guy that stopped in the last hour.”
I give him the coke. I tell him the story of how Jesus turned me around and the whole story of the Good Samaritan, as he pours in the gas. “Take all you need.” I let him see Jesus. He says this is the first time he had heard anything about Jesus. He really is listening.
He offers to pay me for the gas. I say “Nope, this one is on Jesus.” He says “Somehow, I figured you wouldn’t take any money.”

Cody will never remember my name. But I believe he will remember Jesus’ name.

We, who hold to Jesus’s name, never practice “random” acts of kindness. If it is random, in the ultimate sense, it is not true kindness – any more than a random slot machine is being kind by coming up all cherries for a guy with no family who is going to die of a heart attack five minutes after hitting the jackpot.
We need to be purposeful in our acts of kindness – to lift high His name. And then, we are become way kinder than we ever thought we could be. And not only is it a heck of a lot of fun but in an ultimate sense, a real “beauty” results – that just makes sense.