The traffic was unusually heavy in Troy, AL, on this particular day, but
Tara Parker Routzong and her 9-year-old son, Landon, knew it was because
many Floridians had fled their homes due to the approach of Hurricane Irma.
With thoughts of these evacuees in his mind, Landon noticed that the car in
front of them in the Chick-fil-A drive-through had a Florida tag. Assuming
that the driver of the car was fleeing the hurricane, Landon told his mother
that he wanted them to pay for his meal as an expression of love and good
wishes for someone going through a difficult time.
Tara agreed and gave her debit card to Landon. Landon got out of their car
and walked up to the driver of the car in front of them and introduced
himself. He asked if he could pay for his meal. While the order was being
filled, the grateful driver got out of his vehicle and thanked the dynamic
duo for their loving-kindness. As suspected, the man had evacuated from
Miami due to the hurricane and was on his way to Birmingham to stay with
some family members. Tara's and Landon's eyes filled with tears as the man
expressed his grateful appreciation. Tara told the man that they hoped that
when he returned to his home in Miami that he would find it untouched and
that they would keep him in their thoughts. *
I'm confident that the recipient of this simple act of loving-kindness will
also keep these benefactors in his thoughts for a long, long time.
What a wonderful act of loving-kindness! May we "go and do likewise"! May it
also remind us of the greatest act of loving-kindness ever demonstrated:
"At one time we too [and that includes you and me] were foolish,
disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when
the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because
of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He
poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having
been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of
eternal life." (Titus 3:3-7 NIV)
"The kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared" when Jesus went to
the cross and died for our sins so that we can be saved and have the hope of
eternal life. Jesus didn't do this because we deserved it because we were so
"righteous." No, we didn't deserve it at all. We deserve the wages of sin
which is death (Romans 6:23).
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8 NKJV). He saves us because of His
loving mercy.
He will save us when we place our faith and trust in Jesus (See
Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (See
Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (See
Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the
forgiveness of our sins (See Acts
2:38). He will continue to cleanse us from sin as we continue to walk in
the light of His Word (See
1 John 1:7).
Jesus' death on the cross was the greatest act of loving-kindness ever
demonstrated. By God's grace, the salvation and eternal life that Jesus
provided through His atoning sacrifice can be ours if we will only accept it
on His terms.
Won't YOU?
David A. Sargent
* From "Hurricane Irma evacuee surprised by Alabama boy's act of kindness"
by Michelle Matthews, posted on al.com on September 12, 2017.
David A. Sargent, Minister
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