Free Kindness

I took part in an act of random kindness outreach this weekend washing cars for free. Totally free no donations accepted, just doing something kind for someone expecting nothing in return. It's not a new concept we did it at the last church we attended but this time I was on the front lines so to speak.
I stood at the entrance of the church parking lot on a very busy street with 4 other people holding bright colored posters saying car wash. We had one neon green sign in the middle with the word FREE written in huge black letters.
The first thing that got my attention was only 1 out of ten people that passed us by was NOT on the phone. That's scary all by itself.
Some people honked at us and some actually waved back but for the most part people didn't even notice us.
They drove by oblivious to our bright colored signs and more amazing than that they didn't even seem to notice us yelling FREE.
They were driving right by a free blessing and didn't even know it.
We figured the ones that did acknowledge us didn't believe it was free. They probably thought there was a catch and they didn't have the time or desire to find out what the catch was. Some passed by because they figured it was free but they didn't have any cash on them to give the “free with required donation.”
A few took the bait and pulled in and were surprised when we would not take any money from them. No donation, no church enrollment, no future commitment just a free car wash.
This really took people by surprise. The catch was there was no catch.
One young man around 19 or 20 asked if we were doing it to increase church membership. I said no but he was welcome to come visit any time. I explained the reason we were washing his car was to give us an opportunity to be kind to someone and demonstrate the love of God in a tangible way. He thought that was interesting and went on to tell one of the men who was washing his car all the upgrades he put into it and they talked motor talk for a while.
I just watched as this moment, for lack of a better word, happened. The more interest the older man showed the more information the younger man gave. He seemed to fill with pride as he talked about his racing clutch and special wheels. The older man, who was washing the car, smiled and confirmed he too thought she was a beauty. This bond happened right there with 2 strangers. Without them knowing they were each being blessed, one for his obedience to show kindness and the other for not passing by a blessing.
Before he left he told us he was going to come visit our church and would bring his brother too. Again, this was not the goal but praise the Lord we represented a Jesus he wanted to know more.
Another woman, after we would not take a donation, shared with us that she and her husband had been dealing with sickness and just having a general hard time with life. She said she felt this sensation like angels were around her. She told us she felt like God cared about her just by having us wash her car.
Both of these people didn't open up until after they saw we meant what we said that the car wash was really free.
God took this simple act of kindness that we did for Him and used it to reach out to two different people in two different ways.
There were multiple moments happening that day. Our small group reaching out to the community and our small group becoming a community.
What I mean is we only washed about 4 cars for people that didn't belong to the church. You might think the day wasn't successful based on the number of cars that passed us by, however, God knew exactly who would be volunteering that day and He gave us an opportunity to get to know each other better.
We built our church community closer that day too.
As always I was reflecting on the day when I laid down that night and was still so surprised how many people in dirty cars drove right by a free car wash.
I wonder how many people everyday are passing by the many blessing Christ has for them.
The biggest of course is a relationship with Him. The promise of life for eternity in Heaven.
Do people pass by because they don't believe God wants to bless them? Do they pass it by because they think there's a catch?
God's gift of salvation is still free!
I know in my world I am ALWAYS getting blessed by the Lord. I'm not kidding, always. It's not because I'm better than anyone else or sin less it's just that I give credit to the one who blesses me.
For example, and this is just one small example, I was having a tough time financially and we needed groceries. I prayed and asked the Lord to send us food and 2 days later I saw a friend of mine and she said “Oh Gena I have something for you, the Lord told me to give it to you a couple of days ago but I didn't see you.” Guess what she gave me? Two Walmart cards! Guess what I bought? Groceries....
It get's better. I was hanging out with my son and we both really wanted a treat. I couldn't decide between a caramel Frape from McDonalds or a sundae. We only found enough money to buy one or the other for each of us. We decide on the frape and head to McDonalds. When we get to the window the cashier hands us 2 sundaes and says we made these by mistake so you can have them both.
That is my sweet Jesus blessing me for no other reason than because He loves me.
Blessings come in many forms on many occasions whether your the one receiving the blessing or giving the blessing you both get blessed.
Gems, I pray you wont get so consumed in your world that you pass right by an opportunity to be kind to someone. That you won't miss a “moment” to show someone the Love of God in a tangible way. And here's a thought, do it for FREE!