Kindness... and an Old Pair of Shoes

Some years ago I was sitting in the office of the Pajaro Rescue Mission in Watsonville, California. During the years I was going to college, I was the director of a ministry team that went to the mission once each month to conduct an evening service. On this occasion I was talking with the Superintendent of the mission who was named Mr. Baker. In the corner of the office, I saw am old pair of very worn shoes. They had obviously seen many footsteps as they were devoid of polish, and had holes in the soles. The laces had knots here and there to hold them together.

Superintendent Baker must have noticed me looking at the old worn pair of shoes. He said "Let me tell you the story of those shoes." He related how a man had come into the mission to seek food and possibly shelter from the cold winter night. The man had not only been fed but had been given a pair of shoes that had been donated to the mission. In response to the acts of kindness at the mission, he stayed on to assist Mr. Baker and left behind the life of alcohol addiction that had destroyed much of his life.

I have often thought of the visit in that office. It has helped me remember that the gift of kindness in time given or a word of encouragement can make a change in the life of another person. I have tried to make acts of kindness a practice in my life. Not only does it change others it changes me!

Keep Looking Up!

Dan