Acts of kindness
Pay it forward or ‘pray’ it forward
READING Julie Sutherland’s great article, “Pay It Forward” (FT 26/12) with the very positive message got me into a reflective mood.
Firstly, I totally believe in the Pay It Forward philosophy.
When we saw the movie all those years ago it certainly touched us. And your article, Julie, brought home the message once again.
Some years ago, as I was searching for a new hairdresser, I was blessed to find a lovely lady at a Melbourne salon.
Even though she was great at her job she seemed to be carrying the weight of the world.
After visiting her several times for a haircut I learned she was a single mum struggling to stay afloat because of issues she was having with her partner.
Being relatively new to Australia, and having arrived from overseas with two young daughters, it became apparent her partner wasn’t contributing to the family’s upkeep.
So it became a very challenging time for her financially, emotionally and mentally.
Being so far away from her loved ones, she really felt alone without any support and without anyone to share her grief and sorrow.
So I became sort of a sounding board for her struggles.
One of the things I’ve come to understand in the many years of meeting different people is – sometimes there’s a good reason for the connection. So I do what comes naturally.
I pray and ask the Lord what, if anything, I’m supposed to do. Sometimes, I sense I’m to pray.
So I pray quietly while I’m sitting there beseeching the Lord to meet her needs and lift the troubles off her life.
Sometimes, I feel the need to give her a monetary tip.
When she left the salon to pursue her occupation elsewhere I was a little saddened but happy she was going for better pay and working conditions.
When COVID struck and our State went into total lockdown we were unable to visit any salons because they were all shut for months.
When the restrictions lifted I noticed that the salon where I used to go was, sadly, still closed.
So I had to find a new hairdresser.
As I walked along looking for a salon in our local shopping centre, I happened to casually look into one – and there she was.
When she saw me, she came running out to meet me.
After a quick chat I asked if it would be alright to book an appointment.
She said she was free so I went in and sat down.
And then she began telling me about how her life had changed.
There was no mention of the many struggles she was experiencing when we last said goodbye.
Instead, there was a joy in her whole demeanour.
I got a little teary listening to her. But I was careful not to become a blubbering mess in front of everyone in the shop.
So I quickly gathered my emotions while I listened to her amazing transformational journey.
She had found a lovely church where she and her two adult daughters felt at home.
When she’d finished telling me her story it was like an affirmation that God not only hears our prayers but moves in His own amazing ways bringing relief and giving respite to troubled souls.
Sometimes, we can pay it forward through acts of kindness as Julie so beautifully shared.
And sometimes, we can “pray” it forward through prayer as happened again on another beautiful summer’s day many years ago.
My wife and I had become friends with a young couple who happened to live across the road from us.
They didn’t have any children at the time but we learned down the track that they’d been trying different treatments for about 10 years but without success.
Early one evening as we stood chatting in our driveway, I asked whether they’d tried prayer.
They smiled and said, “no”!
So I politely asked if they were agreeable to us praying together.
They said “yes”!
So we held each other’s hands and prayed that God would bless them with a child.
It took all of 30 seconds then we said our goodbyes.
A few months later, we heard a loud knocking on our front door. It was the lovely lady from across the road.
She was so excited and nearly jumping out of her skin because she came to share the amazing news that she was pregnant. We hugged her and thanked the Lord.
Today, her little bundle of joy is in her 20s and a delightful young woman full of promise. She’s also a nurse who’s been serving through the pandemic at one of the great hospitals here in Melbourne.
What’s even more astonishing is – they also had a second child – a son – who is now at university and hoping to follow in the footsteps of becoming a doctor such as his dad.
They are one of our closest and dearest family friends.
Whether you pay it forward or pray it forward through acts of kindness, may 2021 be a year filled with hope and promise.