In the Bible, Jesus used parables and stories to teach us about many Christian values, such as kindness and compassion. But his greatest method was teaching by example. He healed the leper, dined with sinners, talked with a gentile woman at the well, showed compassion to the sick, and forgave those who hurt him. He raised children from the dead out of pity for their parents; he accepted disciples from all walks of life.

Have you ever thought about whether you make a difference to others? Have you thought about what impact you have on others? Are you the kind of person who leaves others feeling like you don’t like them? Or worse, that you leave them feeling that you just don’t care about them one way or the other?

In our busy, hectic schedules, we come across numerous people every day. How do you treat them? Are they just there to bag our groceries, or help us find the product we are looking for, or deliver a package to us, or fix our tire? Or are they children of God who have the same needs as we do and who deserve care and concern. 

As I was checking out at the pharmacy recently, I asked the clerk how her day was going? She looked at me totally astonished and said, “You’re the first person all day to care about me. Thank you. This has made my day.” Also recently, I complemented a waitress on her pretty hair. She responded, “Thank you so much. My child is sick and I am worried about her. I really needed that complement today.”

It only took a few seconds to say something personal or kind. But those few seconds can sometimes give others more than we realize. It can mean much more than a few seconds to them.

Will you take the time to say something nice to someone today? Better yet, let’s try to take a few seconds to be caring to all those we meet every day.

God bless you!

Elizabeth