Repayment
“Those who repay favors give thought to the future; when they fall they will find support.”
A recent article from the BBC caught my attention. My son and his family live in Wales and it was probably the Welsh flag as the caption that made me want to read the article.
Communities in Wales were greatly affected by the miners' strike in the 1980s. They received much-needed financial support from fellow miners in Ukraine. "We are mining brothers - I remember the donation box we had, everyone donated as much as they could, and sent it to those miners," said Vasyl Yavorsky. Now, 40 years later, English and Welsh miners are repaying the kindness by driving trucks loaded with medicine and supplies from south Wales to Kyiv to repay the old favor.
Do you expect people to repay you when you do them a favor? We probably give more favors than we realize in the course of a day. Maybe you mowed a neighbor’s lawn, opened the door for someone, listened to a friend or stranger. It may be easy to turn down their attempt to repay you. However, allowing a person to thank you, in some way, often makes them feel better and you are blessing them.
God shows us favor when we confess our sin and when we turn to Him for help. There are endless examples in the Bible of favors being given and repaid. God grants a degree of grace to everyone and much to some. It was God's favor that provided Noah protection and deliverance during the flood. Abraham received God's favor: “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.” (Genesis 18:3) Moses also received God's favor, and the unique blessing of seeing God's glory.
Do not always look for or expect repayment. Be a blessing to others. As in the above case, it took 40+ years, but the initial kindness had never been forgotten.
