The story I am going to share is not my own, it’s one of my mom’s stories. A recent one. You’ve probably heard your share of similar stories, most likely in the form of a chain letter. But this one is completely and entirely true, yet you wont hear it on the news & it wont have it’s own page on snopes.
A week or so ago, my mom and brother were in the drive thru at Starbucks. I believe they were on their way to school, when a mini cooper pulled up behind them. When it came time to pay for their drinks, my mom went ahead and paid for the drinks of the car behind them.
My brother is a cranky teenage boy. Half-empty type person. We love him dearly, none the less.
He immediately told my mom to NOT pay for the drinks of the other car, “There’s more than just one person in there!! It’s going to cost a lot!!”
Of course, my mom told him to shut up, it’s her Starbucks money, and it isn’t dipping into his Vanilla Frapp Fund. I can imagine that the entire rest of the way to drop him off at school he was hammering on and on about how she shouldn’t have paid for those drinks.
Later that morning, my mom’s principal played a music trivia game on the morning announcements. My mom never EVER wins, even though she and her class have a pretty good strategy. They get the email all ready to be sent, it’s just waiting for the answer, before the announcements even begin to play. The kids have come up with the right answers a few times, but they’re never quick enough to get it in first. My mom’s losing streak is a lunchroom topic, I know, I was there when it was discussed.
You see, my mom knows just as much about music as I know about ancient Greek. One time a sitcom we were watching together referenced AC/DC… my mom had to ask me “what” AC/DC was.
Well, that morning as the song started to play… she KNEW the answer. She knew that it was a Willie Nelson Christmas song before Willie even began to sing a note. So off she sent the e-mail with the answer to the trivia game.
She won.
When she received her prize, a Starbucks gift card, she went home and showed off to my brother, “You SEE? What goes around COMES AROUND!”
I wish I could have witnessed the look on my brother’s face.
Remember this story, give to others without thinking about reaping a reward. What we have is NOT ours, it’s all entrusted to us by God. Bless others as he has so richly blessed us. Especially during this time of year, when many are feeling the stress of the Holidays. Remind others in your own acts the reason for the season.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. — James 1:17, NIV
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. — Ephesians 5:1-2, The Message
