R.A.O.K.

"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans so?...Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."  Matthew 5:46,48

Good morning, dear friends!

I witnessed an honest-to-goodness R.A.O.K. this week.

In our local grocery store, a flustered lady arrived at the counter with two sodas, asking hurriedly what the minimum shopping limit was for a credit card.  When she found out that she did not reach the minimum amount, another customer stepped up and bought the two drinks for her, wished her a great day, and left.  The lady and the salesclerk were talking between themselves, saying how rare it is in our day in time that someone would help out a stranger.

A Random Act Of Kindness, is a rare thing indeed.

There was no way for either party to know if they would see each other again, no exchanging of addresses, no promise to help out another person, just a simple geste toward another person, and then they went on their separate ways.

I wonder what both parties were thinking as they left the store?  How had their attitudes changed with that exchange?  Was it a simple act of kindness, motivated by an immediate need, or something more?  The lady on the receiving end, did it make her kinder, more compassionate to those around her for that day, or was it accepted as her "due?"

I cannot help but think about Jesus's teachings on love in the Sermon on the Mount.  He encouraged His listeners to love their neighbors as themselves, with an additional admonishment tacked on:  "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?  Do not even the publicans so?"  Am I surprised when my husband, or my children, or my coworkers or my closest friends love on me in such a tangible way? (I'm still VERY thankful for those kindnesses!)  In many ways, it's normal to do special things for those we love the most.

But for those I don't even know?  For those who mistreat me, or take advantage of my kindness, am I motivated to show my love to them in the same way?

Jesus described this kind of love as "perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."  And this love is perfect, complete, entire and mature.  This is the sacrificial, unconditional God-love that is motivated not in what is gained in the exchange, but what is given.

May I be motivated today to do a R.A.O.K. to a stranger, or even someone I may not necessarily like, and see what happens.

I might just be surprised by the results.