I Made $5 Today

Well, I finally got my lazy butt up and went to the gym for the first time in almost a week. On my way to the entrance, I saw a guy crossing the street ahead of me and something fell out of his pocket. I was about 10 steps behind him and looked on the ground to discover that it was a $5 bill.

So, like any half decent human being, I picked it up and followed him into the gym to give it to him. I got his attention near the front desk and said, "Excuse me, you dropped this outside." The young people at the front desk witnessed the exchange and were completely taken aback by me giving the guy his money back. They were making comments about how rare it was because most people wouldn't do that. The guy who dropped the money was also pleasantly surprised and actually told me to keep the $5 as a token of his appreciation. After that, the front desk was just totally smitten by the heartfelt exchange and all I could say to them was, "To God be the glory..."

It's a short and simple story and probably one where you had to be there, but there was so much that I took away from that exchange. The first thing that jumped out to me was that people were amazed over something as nominal as $5. Maybe it was the principle of the matter, but I had to question how dark our world has become if such a small gesture could have such a huge impact. I wasn't doing it for kudos, but simply because it was the right thing to do. It's loving my fellow man and treating people how I'd like to be treated. It made me question if goodness and love have become a foreign language.

The next takeaway was realizing how far a small gesture can go. It's easy to get discouraged at the cold-heartedness of people today. Sometimes I feel like people's minds are made up and they are so distracted that there's no point in trying to reach them. This exchange actually reminded me that light shines brightest in darkness. Yes, the society is getting darker and people's hearts are waxing cold. However, that just means that the gospel will stand out even more. As believers, we cannot let the temperature of the world affect the temperature of the Kingdom. Jesus put it this way,

Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Lastly, I was reminded that goodness is contagious. I made a good gesture to the guy and he made one to me, and the front desk became inspired. It was a moment of humanity where everyone involved saw this foreign language of love being spoken and said, "I like this language." I could have opted to keep the money and no one (but God) would ever known. The guy could have opted to reclaim his money and been perfectly within his rights. However, we chose to speak a more dignified language: The language of love, which is selflessness.

This blog is short and sweet just like the example above. My prayer is that we can be inspired to know that a little can go a long way. As believers, we are not saved by works, but we are ambassadors for Christ, and God expects us to reflect His love in the Earth. Be encouraged and know that there is a harvest out there who is longing to witness the language of love. The Bible describes us as strangers and pilgrims (1 Pet. 2:11) which means that we do things differently from the world. Let's continue live Godly and never be discouraged.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Shalom