Articles
Kindness In Action
This story is old and has been told many times, but it is so poignant and says so much that it always carries a timeless message:
Shortly after the end of World War II, Europe was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight was the little orphaned children starving in the war-torn streets. Early one chilly morning in London, an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks. Turning the corner, he spotted a little boy of six or seven, standing with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. The hungry boy stared in silence as the baker kneaded dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The soldier pulled his Jeep over, got out, and walked quietly to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamy window, he gazed at the mouth-watering treats. The soldier's heart went out to the child, so he asked, "Son, would you like some of those?" Startled, the little boy peered up at the tall American and cried, "Oh, yes, sir, I would!" Quietly, the soldier stepped inside, bought a dozen doughnuts, and exited into the London fog. Turning to the child, he smiled, held out the bag, and said simply, "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He stopped and smiled back at the boy, only to hear him ask, "Mister, are you God?"
Compassion, kindness, and tender-heartedness are just as needed today as when Jesus walked the earth. We are not God, but we are to be like Him. What a lesson this story gives us. We sing that “we are the only Bible the world may ever read.” Let us be that genuine, unsung hero. Let us be that encourager who demonstrates, even to a child, that there are kind and compassionate people in the world. Do you think this little boy ever forgot that unknown soldier who helped to fill the emptiness in his life?
Do a simple deed regularly and often. We never know how far a simple gesture, or a kind word planted in the grateful heart, will take that person, even a child.
Rickie Jenkins
