Recently, I sat in the waiting room of a doctor’s office. The
door opened; I assumed I would be ushered to the exam room. But no, it was a
woman I had never met. She explained she worked in the back office, but had
seen me from time to time. She said to me, “I just wanted to come out and tell
you what a pretty smile you have.”
Later, I was with a friend in a local store that specialized
in beads of all shapes and sizes, textures and colors. As my friend discussed
her needs with the owner, I chatted with another employee, a young woman named
Kara. She wore a beaded bracelet, an intricate masterpiece that had taken her 80
to 90 hours to create. My friend and I both admired the amazing piece of art. Several
days later, my husband and I had occasion to be in the same store. Kara approached
us. I introduced her to my husband and encouraged him to appreciate the
bracelet. Clearly, she wore it every day. The following moment, she took the
bracelet off and said, “Here, I want you to have it. “ She placed it on my
wrist, and though I protested, she remained resolute.
These two independent interactions ultimately begged the
same question: “Who does that?” Who takes
the time to leave their office to extend a compliment to a woman she does not
know? Who bestows a painstakingly crafted item of jewelry upon a relative
stranger?
Seriously … Who does that?
The question does have an answer. People with lovely,
generous hearts, and kind, thoughtful spirits
do such things. They turn good thoughts into meaningful action. They take the
extra step, go the additional mile, with only one thing in mind: doing
something nice for someone else with no thought of personal gain.
So … question asked, question answered. Case closed.
No. It is not enough to simply pose a question and then
content myself with the obvious answer. I know experiencing these two significant
interactions demands a more deliberate response. I decided it was incumbent
upon me to revise the answer to the question.
Who does that? I DO THAT.
I want to be one of those generous, thoughtful people. I
prayed for help. I asked the Holy Spirit to quicken my heart, whisper softly in
my ear, whenever the occasion to extend love to one of His children presented
itself. He heard my prayer and as already answered it, allowing me to pass His
beautiful heart on to another.
Perhaps others might do likewise. Imagine a world where many
people said, “I do that. At every opportunity, I selflessly offer love and
kindness to others through my words and actions.” Imagine how much joy that could
bring, how many lives might be changed, if even just a little.
Imagine how God, creator of the entire universe, would
smile.
……….
And speaking of God smiling
I have worked in the eating disorder field for many years. I know the hardship, struggle, and pain
associated with these terrible diseases.
I recognize and respect how difficult it is to achieve recovery. But eating disorders inhabit the darkness; we
serve a God of light. If you let Him, He
will help you throw off those dark shackles and enter the light where you can
live free. Additionally, he will pull
the scales from your own eyes and allow you to focus on the needs of the world
around you, instead of the
ever-escalating demands of an eating disorder.
As you grow into the type of
person who says “I do that,” God will smile on you, in you, and through you.
Submitted by Guest Blogger, Debra Cooper, Expert writer on eating disorders
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