April | 2018 | Mary Penich

What now is has already been;
what is to be, already is;
and God restores
what would otherwise be displaced.
Ecclesiastes 3:15

Though an abundance of sunshine had already lifted my spirits, a stop at the gas station on my way to the grocery store gifted me with a glimpse of heaven…

While I selected my gasoline and eased the nozzle into place, two college-aged girls pulled up to the pump next to mine. They both got out of the car because the passenger insisted that she was going to pay for her friend’s gas in appreciation of her chauffeur services over the prior week. The other replied, “I helped you because you needed it. That’s what friends do. If you want to do something, just pay it forward.” I hadn’t heard those words in years, but they immediately conjured images from a very special movie which I’d seen a decade earlier.

As I drove home from the grocery store, I found myself on a mission. I put away the groceries in record time and then ran to the computer. I did a search for Pay It Forward and spent the next several minutes enjoying clips from this movie which continues to touch my heart. As I watched, it occurred to me that it is indeed God’s intent that we “pay it forward”. Like those wonderful friends from gas station who have no idea that their generosity in paying it forward inspired this writing, we cannot predict the extent of the goodness our kindness toward others will reap.

Creative God, you make the most of all that we do, regardless of how inept we may be. Inspire our generosity and make us whole-hearted sharers of your love.

Author & Speaker