Kindness and Helpfulness

My An Arkie's Faith column from the January 6, 2021, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

The houses on the street were shrouded in early morning darkness as I left for work. Before opening my business, I had to pick up a load of glass. As I drove along the highway, the trees’ outlines became more apparent as the first light of dawn softened the grey skies. By the time I reached the storage building where my supplier had dropped off my glass order during the night, there was enough light to see to load my truck. A soft drizzle along with a sharp cold breeze made loading the glass unpleasant. When the last piece of glass was on the truck, I quickly slipped into the cab to dry off and warm up.

I took the key out of my pocket and hurriedly stuck it in the ignition. When I turned the key, the only thing I heard was a click. I turned the key several more times, and each time there was just a click. I was cold and wet, and now I was irritated. The battery was less than two months old; how could it be dead? What was I going to do? It was early in the morning, and there was no one around. I knew that in an hour, the auto parts store next to the storage buildings would open. There was nothing that I could do, but wait.

When the auto parts store opened, I went inside. There was one other customer, a young man who had been waiting for the store to open. He was in a hurry to get his parts so he could go to work. As the young man finished up his purchase and picked up his parts, the counterman asked me what I needed. I told him that I needed a boost and asked if he could help me. He said that he couldn’t leave the counter, and I would have to wait until another employee came to work. “How long will that be,” I wondered. I knew that there were already customers at my shop waiting for me to open.

The young man overheard my predicament and said, “I have a booster pack in my truck. I can help you.” My spirits lifted as we headed over to where my truck was parked. I opened the hood, and we quickly attached the cables from the booster pack to my battery. When I turned the key, expecting the engine to come to life, once again, I only heard a click. We made sure that the cables were making good contact and tried one more time. But there was nothing but a click. Now I was beginning to suspect the starter. During the seventeen years that I have owned the Chevrolet S-10 shop truck, I have had to replace the starter several times. 

The young man who was helping me was thinking the same thing. “I think your starter is stuck,” he said. Grabbing a wrench from the back of his pickup, he slid under my truck and began banging on the starter. When he crawled out from under the S-10, we tried to start it one more time. But there was nothing but a click. “If we had a chain, we could pull it and get it started,” I said. “It is a standard transmission, so it would be easy to start.” The young man rummaged around in the back of his pickup and came up with a length of tow strap. I didn’t have any ends, but he tied one end to the S-10, and the other end around the ball on his pickup. 

I put the S-10 in second gear, switched on the ignition, and pushed in the clutch. The tow rope tightened, and the S-10 began to move. I popped the clutch, and the engine purred to life. Thanking the young man profusely, I wished him well as he headed to work. As I pulled out onto Highway 71 and headed for my shop, I thought about the cheerful, helpful young man who took the time to help me even though his day had started badly, and he was late for work. His act of kindness and helpfulness made me want to be the kind of person he was.  

As Christians, many believe that we have to do great and mighty things to change the world. The truth is that a simple act of kindness can start a ripple effect. If you are kind and helpful to someone, they are more likely to pass it on. But an act of unkindness can also start a ripple effect. If you start the day in a lousy mood and mistreat someone, they are more apt to be in a bad mood and pass it on. Christians should strive to have so much of Jesus’ love, generosity, and kindness in them that they can’t help but share it with others. Being kind and helping others should be the natural outgrowth of living as a Christian. 

Colossians 3:12 (NIV) says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Kindness is love in action. It is a practical expression of love, visible and active, not just emotional. It is helping a stranger when you are already late for work. Jesus gave us an example by showing everyday kindness and helpfulness to others. He made breakfast for His friends after they spent an exhausting night fishing. He blessed the children who the grown-ups were trying to shoo away. He fed thousands of hungry people who had followed Him to a remote hillside. Jesus spent much more time taking care of people’s needs than he did preaching.    

Gentle Reader, remember that God has blessed you so you can bless others. Ask Him to help you see the needs of the people He brings into your life. Then, be ready to help with no expectation of anything in return. God will put someone in your path who needs your help. Consider their needs and help them with a spirit of kindness and helpfulness. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10 (NIV)