Be The Change

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

Many years ago, my friend, Mary Z., had a footer at the bottom of her email with that quote. I would notice it every time that I got an email from her. Regardless of what the email was about, it would always make me stop for a moment. Usually, I would think "Mary is such a good human being. She is the kind of person who actually lives this and I will never be as unselfish as she is". Frankly, I still believe that, today. You would too if you knew Mary. Even by putting it on her email and making me stop to think about it - she was helping me to change.

Last night, I received a 'youtube recommendation' about a video of a woman named Penny who had a near death experience. I was too tired to watch the entire thing, but I watched a lot of it. Most of the time when you see movies on people dying and going to heaven, there is always this 'life review' part like the one in "It's a Wonderful Life". In Penny's story, she had to make the decision of whether to stay in heaven or to return to her body in an induced coma. Before she made the decision, God took her to a moment in her life. Penny was on the line at a grocery store, and the lady in front of her didn't have enough money to pay for her groceries. She is apologizing up and down and saying that she is just going to put a few things back (which were clearly the items for herself and not those for her family). Penny offered to pay the difference. Initially, the woman declined but ultimately gratefully accepted. Penny had been in that situation - as a single Mom with no support. Her recollection was that it was a very small amount of money. It might have even been less than a dollar. Penny was so surprised that this was the life event that God picked to show her.

Then God showed her a scene from a number of years later. The woman from the grocery store is behind the cash register at a foodbank when another woman comes in and apologetically says that she can't afford to feed her family. The woman behind the register says that she has been there, too.

It isn't about the big accomplishments in our lives. It is about the small kindnesses. Gestures that have a ripple effect. We do not know how many people may ultimately be helped by one small thing that we do and it is these things that change the world.