Word of Encouragement

Like many of you, I grew up with parents who would often remind me, "it is better to give than receive." As a kid, this was difficult to comprehend, because I really liked getting gifts on my birthday and at Christmas.

But with the passage of time, I experienced a few things that helped me understand the joy and happiness that accompany doing something that uplifts and encourages others. For example, as I have shared in previous Words of Encouragement, for the past 23 years, our family has participated in the Youth With A Mission Homes of Hope Program. Over a two-day period, we build a 400 square foot home and give it to a family.

Several years ago, there was a particularly tough build. Our site was on difficult terrain, we were running out of supplies, and when we went to grab some lunch, the sandwiches were gone, leaving us to eat a “healthy” dose of potato chips and candy. By the time we were ready to dedicate the house and turn it over to the family, I was tired, frustrated, and ready to just get the dedication ceremony done.

But when we started the dedication, the wife walked into the bedroom and started sobbing—we literally had to catch her as she was collapsing to the ground. She was overcome by the fact that for the first time in her life, she was going to get to actually sleep on a bed.

Talk about a reality check! All of a sudden, the challenges we had experienced in building the house disappeared, replaced with the joy of seeing the euphoric spirit of this woman and her family. It truly was better to give than receive.

Last week, I received a couple of emails that highlighted how things can change when we reach out and give to others.

When Janiyah Lewis left a convenience store and saw a homeless man, instead of walking by, she asked him why he wouldn’t go home. She learned that the man’s trailer had recently burned down, and he had lost everything, including his wife. Her mom, Kenyatta, noted that Janiyah then gave the homeless man a few dollars and told him he should go to McDonald’s. The man’s “whole face lit up” after experiencing this act of kindness.

Over in Georgia, when the faculty and staff at Unity Grove Elementary School learned that their janitor, Chris Jackson, was struggling to find a ride to work, they decided to do something about it. So what did they do?

As you can see from this video, they decided to give Chris his dream car, a Chevy Impala. If you want to see what unrestrained gratitude and joy looks like, check out this video that went viral.

Jackson couldn’t move when teachers presented him with the keys to his car. It turns out, he was saving to buy a car but had fallen on hard times. So he was walking to work in the meantime.

With over 1.5 million views along with thousands of comments and shares online, Jackson has told people: “When you see me, have a laugh. We can chuckle about it, we can talk about it. But that was one of the greatest moments of life, and can’t nobody change that, they can’t take that away from me.”

And what’s the first thing he plans to do? He is going to drive and visit his mom.

With COVID and its variants now a fact of life, could it be that many of us who are reading this note are seeing the same types of things that Janiyah Lewis and the teachers and staff at Unity Grove Elementary School are seeing—people who could benefit from receiving the gift of kindness?

Personally, in watching these videos and reading the stories, I am personally challenged to slow down a bit and show the same awareness of Janiyah, a six-year old child.

Maybe that was what the Apostle Paul was referencing in Acts 20:35, where he encouraged the Ephesians with these words: "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"