The Ripple Effect of Kindness
I recently had my DEXA scan done to determine progress in beating osteoporosis. The young technician giving me directions spoke so fast I had to ask her several times, “What?” She was again hard to follow when I stepped out of the changing room in that lovely blue gown that opens in the back. She was going about her job perfunctory, like a drill sergeant. “Don’t move,” she ordered.
I hadn’t been, and I continued to lie rigidly still. My first thought was to write a letter observing the need for customer service…after all, I got up at 5:30 in the morning to get the train for this appointment. The least she could do was show a little kindness. Then I caught myself. What if she had just broken up with her boyfriend, or her rent was raised, or she had bad news about a family member?
On the way in, I read my daily devotional, A Christlike Response. The verse was from 1 Peter 2:23
“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly”.
Certainly, I wasn’t facing this tremendous act of love that Jesus gave us. I considered what Jesus would say to this woman to connect with her and show compassion.
When the scan was done, I asked her, “Do people really move?”
She offered a huge smile like a curtain opening to a bright sun. “People cough, itch, fidget.” She poured out some stories, and we both laughed.
I responded, “You must have a lot of patience and a good sense of humor. Best of luck to you.”
“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, you must also forgive.” Colossians 3: 13
She smiled brightly and thanked me.
How quick I was to judge. It wasn’t that she was rude or not doing her job. It was the standing-in-line clerk who said, “Next.” And then a little inquiry changed the dynamic.
“A gentle word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs51:1
I believe there is a ripple effect in whatever we put into the world. We all need a little more light and compassion for ourselves and our neighbors. Turning around someone’s day gave me pleasure and erased the negatives I had felt.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Blessings to you the next time you’re in line and you hear, ”Next.”
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26.
