Trying to be like Jesus

I wanted to share an experience that Katie and I had last week.  We were driving into Costco and saw a man standing on the corner with a sign – one of those “please help” signs.  It was a bitterly cold day, probably 8 degrees, and Katie immediately saw him and was concerned.

“Can we help him, Mom?  You have a dollar in your purse.  Can we give it to him?”

I agreed that she could take my dollar and give it to the man on our way out.  The entire time we were in Costco, she talked about the man and how sad it was that he was there and would anyone else help him and give him money.  She also repeated a couple of times that she knew Grandpa would give him money. J

On our way out, we pulled up to the man and she rolled down her window and handed him the dollar.  He took it and said, “God bless you” and we pulled away.

 

“Why did he say ‘God bless you’, Mom?”

“He is thankful that you helped him, Katie, and he wants Heavenly Father to bless you for being kind.”

Her eye welled up with tears and she asked me a multitude of questions. Is there a place he can go to get out of the cold?  How far is it?  Will he have to walk there?  Will someone drive him?  She could not let it go and I was struck by the depth of the compassion that she had in her heart. It was a good rebuke for me to realize that I can be kinder and more aware of and compassionate toward my fellow men. 

A couple of days later, we were talking about it and Katie said, “Do you know why I was so worried about that man, Mom?”  “Why?” I asked.  “Because I thought how I would feel if that was me.”  At the tender age of 11, she already knows how to mourn with those that mourn and to feel the afflictions of another that she may succor them in their need.