The day before a recent trip from Florida to Oregon, I saw a local news blurb about a doctor who was arrested at our home airport for causing a disturbance. Evidently, she was screaming and cursing at the airline ticket agents, refusing to calm down and leave the area when the airport police arrived. Instead, she began to take videos and photos of the airline staff while continuing to loudlly berate them. Repeatedly ignoring police commands, the doctor was put in handcuffs and arrested for trespassing and resisting without violence.
I’m not sure if the above story came out of a sense of entitlement because of her profession or if she was just having one of those days that went from bad to worse—a cancelled flight that deteriorated into the sound of a jail cell door clanging behind her. But, it made me think about all the blessings and privileges I have and yet how ungrateful and unthoughtful I can be sometimes.
I was taken back in my mind to God’s call to the Father of all Jews—Abraham. Genesis 12:2-3 records God’s promise and challenge to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” We are all blessed with time, talent and treasure to be a blessing to others.
When I flew to Oregon the next day I made a decision to be a blessing. I chose to seek out the lowliest and least appreciated person in all of the airports I travelled through. I blessed every attendant I encountered in the Fort Myers, Charlotte, Phoenix and Portland airport restrooms. I made eye contact with each one of them and smiled. I thanked them for their hard work. I complimented them on the great job they did keeping the floors, the sinks and the toilets clean. One of them had a tip jar on the countertop next to the mints he provided so I handed him a five-dollar bill and blessed him with encouraging words.
I had a blast the whole thirteen hour trip through four airports as I eagerly looked for the guy with the mop or toilet paper in hand. It was so much fun to be a blessing, to see the grins and hear the startled “thank you” from guys rarely appreciated. It’s a blessing to be a blessing. We have been blessed to be a blessing. Why not make a special effort today to bless someone with your words, your smile or your unexpected actions? It will make you smile from the inside out!
QUESTION: Would you share a similar experience of how you blessed someone recently? Use the Comment section below. Thanks!
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