“Oh no. Where’s my wallet?”
This week, as we left our family gathering and began the 4-hour drive home, my husband’s panicky voice drew me from my gazing-through-the-window musings.
Heart drops. Stomach curdles. Teeth clench.
The thought of having to phone around all the financial institutions before someone embarked upon a spending spree at our expense, let alone the loss from my cash-loving husband’s leather billfold, was enough to swiftly drain even this glass-half-full girl.
Thankfully, we were only 30 minutes into the journey and made a quick U-turn to retrace our steps. Even more thankfully, back where we had been staying, some honest, kind, generous super-human had spotted the wallet on the ground. He went deep into detective mode using social media, and then found my husband’s website and phone number which he used to contact us.
What a gem!
It reminded me of the saying “going the extra mile,” which stems from this verse: “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” (Matthew 5:4).
Jesus talked about the pitfalls of retaliation and that rather than having the attitude of “an eye for an eye,” we should kill with kindness, be over and above generous, and perhaps surprise one another with loving actions.
When my husband attempted to press a cash reward into our considerate new friend’s hand, he brushed it off saying he was just repaying the kindness that someone bestowed upon him when he lost his own wallet.
Our faith in humanity was restored! My own conscience was pricked at the times I could have gone the extra mile. And failed. A mental note was made to look for opportunities to be extra generous.
Friend, imagine if we all surprised someone with intentional kindness today…
