Don't do it Halfway....

Hasn't it been a great weekend?  Even if most of my hours were spent riding down the highway.

Sam and I left yesterday at noon, to make a trip to Louisiana to pick up Fig cuttings.   Just a five and a half hour trip (One Way)....not bad at all.   I guess that would be like 11 hours on the road...more like 13 or 14 hours for Sam and I.

We have made this trip for Many years now, and I never get tired of traveling to the southern part of Louisiana.   

Anyways, this morning I stayed at the hotel while Sam went to pick up the cuttings.   I turned on the TV and Dr. Charles Stanley was speaking.    I listened a while and one of the things that he said was that we need to live our lives as Christ would have us do.    

One of the things that I picked up on was that we need to be kind to others.....We need to go out of our way to compliment others or to do good things for others.   

As Sam and I were traveling home today, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel to grab something for lunch.   As I was heading to the restroom, a tiny little black lady was just ahead of me.   As we both made our way to wash our hands, I complimented the lady on her dress.   It was a gorgeous color of Pink and she really looked so pretty in it.  

In my mind, I was thinking.....I'm proud of myself, I complimented someone today.    And then this precious little lady began talking to me.   She told me what size the dress was and that she had purchased it last year but could just now wear it because she had GAINED weight.   She ask me a few other questions and some of them, I had no clue as to what she was talking about.  She was so soft spoken and I could barely hear what she was saying.   I was trying my best to get out of there.

At this point, I was thinking......look what I got myself into by complimenting someone!!!!!!!!!!!

I left the restroom and in just a short time, the host called our name to be seated.   

While Sam and I were eating, I noticed that he kept looking past me and I could tell he was really thinking about something.

I asked him what he was looking at and he then told me that he was watching this lady back behind me that was sitting all by herself.  I kinda looked around and there was the little lady that I had spoke with in the restroom.   She was sitting there, all by herself enjoying her little meal.

Seems that something about her had captured Sam's heart, so he asked our waitress for her bill and he paid for her meal.

As I was thinking about this a little later, my heart was saddened by my own actions.    I listened to the sermon this morning, I made the effort to show kindness, but did I allow this kindness to truly come from my heart!?!?

In other words......I did compliment this sweet lady, but when it came time for the kindness to be extended with conversation, I failed.

I think about how lonely she might have been and how she may have needed to have someone to talk to.  

What good does it do us,  when we HALFWAY do an act of kindness? 

I can promise that I am going to try to do better. 

Lesson Learned today!!

Shug