Kindness

The sermon at church yesterday evening was on one of the fruits of the Spirit: kindness. It will eventually be available online from here. Kindness seems like such a sappy concept, but the power of simple kindness was brought home to me by the actions of a man I met on Saturday.

Anth and I were on our way back from the Southern Highlands (see the preceding post) and on the spur of the moment decided to drop by the Bunnings 'megabarn hardware extravaganza' store at Bankstown. We'd heard there was a bargain on trestle tables going. As it turned out they were a bargain (at $58). So I looked at the table and I thought, as I handed over my credit card to the guy at the checkout, 'Yeah, it'll fit in the car.'

Five minutes later, having unpacked the car in the car park, folded down the rear seats, and then attempted to safely stow the table, I realised the error of my ways. No amount of shoving was going to fit a 1.83 metre table in the boot of a Corolla. So much for me thinking that I'm spatially gifted. Maybe if the car could drive itself and we could walk home separately ... Anyhow, I lug the table back into Bunnings. Home Delivery? That's an extra $30.

So we decide that the excursion has been a rather frustrating waste of time and that we will attempt to return the table and get our money back. In the line up for the information desk we are exchanging some comments with a guy behind us about the cost of the table (and our foolishness) when the man standing behind him asks, "Where do you live?" "Padstow," I reply. The guy pauses briefly and then says, "Well I live at Condell Park, I'll give you a lift."

We're both amazed at this (geographically this stranger is offering to drive past his house a good number of km's to home deliver our table). We wait outside while he finalises his purchases and while waiting Anth and I ponder his motivations. Why on earth is he randomly offering us help?

Riding in his van, and having a chat, I soon realised that his offer of help wasn't entirely random. It turns out that he's a Christian who attends the nearby Condell Park Bible Church (as well as working for Bunnings at another store). Of course he didn't link his faith to the offer of the lift - but for me his act of simple kindness really affirmed the way that Christian faith can and does result in a radical re-shaping of one's priorities and attitudes; as recipients of God's awesome grace we too seek to love and to serve others.

The kindness displayed in his offer of a lift might have only been a small and insignificant thing, but it has given me some mighty encouragement this week.