Do you ever get a feeling of exhortation that unexpectedly pops into your head? Often I am nudged by the Holy Spirit to do certain things, such as apologize to someone when I do not want to, or to write an anonymous letter for someone I don't usually interact with at school. Once the thought is in my head, I know it has to happen. At times nervousness and doubt creep in and try to destroy that assuredness. But once the action is completed, a curtain of peace always falls over me.
Today, I witnessed a similar experience. It was a small act of kindness. However, it completely changed my perspective on compassion and generosity. Mom and I were on our way home from a Costco run and were waiting at a red light (which, if you've ever been to Florida, you know that Florida traffic lights are very disorganized and extremely long). As we watched and waited, we saw two Chinese college-aged girls with three large suitcases walk up to a car, apparently looking for directions. The driver was in a hurry and she gave them a few vague pointers and drove off. As our light turned green and we started pulling away, mom was saying how hard it would be for a foreigner to be lost in a city like ours. By the tone in her voice I could tell that she wanted to do something about the situation. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "You know, they're lost and they don't know the language well and I just feel like I should go back and help them." Now in my mind I was thinking, Okay, there are two strangers on the street in Florida and, what's more, they don't speak English very well. I do not think that is a good idea. I voiced my thoughts to her, but she persisted. "We need to go back."
So we turned around and pulled into the CVS parking lot and up next to the girls. I nervously rolled down my window, and the conversation began. Mom leaned over, smiled, and said, "Do you two need a ride?" They showed me the address to their apartment which I then looked up on mom's iphone. Thankfully the destination was not far.
After hearing their voices, and seeing their bewilderment, I started to realize that we were meant to be there. The groceries were moved up to the front with me. The girls' vibrant yellow, dark black, and dull grey suitcases were packed into the trunk, and they climbed gratuitously into the car. Mom's hospitality shone as we started talking together. We learned a lot about each other during the drive, and a certain friendship formed. Their names were Yankee and Ingrid. Both were from Hong Kong and were going to begin an internship at Disney World's Epcot.
We finally reached their apartment, helped carry the bags up to the room, and said a bittersweet goodbye. Everything had gone smoothly, which I was very thankful for, but I was disappointed to leave two very sweet girls, even though we had only known each other for a few minutes. The drive home was spent in silence; we were washed over by God's peace.
That experience turned out to be the day's highlight. All the while I marveled at their sweetness and thankfulness and at God's perfect timing. He moves in mysterious ways. I also thanked Him for blessing me with a mom who has such overwhelming compassion, generosity, and kindness. Her actions not only touched Yankee and Ingrid, but they touched me as well.
As Aesop said, "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."
