Oh, To Be a Better Person

I was humbled, inspired, and touched recently by the generosity of some of God’s people. I received an amazing display of how we are supposed to act and be towards others.

I had flown back to Idaho for about 18 hours to help my stepson and daughter-in-law drive the 2 ½ day trip to Texas with their 3 small kiddos.  It was tiring, but it was oh-so-fun to be a part of a new life transition with them.

When we arrived, we found the rental home they were supposed to move into, was in very poor condition. So poor, that it was not livable. You can imagine the emotions that accompany that. A long drive, keeping little ones happy, sadness at leaving loved ones behind, excitement over a new job and life, and then a home that is not what you thought it would be. 

People were already arriving to help them unload from the truck and things were moving quickly. It can be awkward to try and make an unpopular decision with new friends around. And when you do make it, then what?

The truck was unloaded very quickly by the time the decision was made that this home was just not livable. Especially with three little ones. 

So now, my stepson and daughter-in-law found themselves homeless and in a new state.

I have never seen such generosity in all of my life.

First of all, multiple people were on their phones trying to track down a new home for them to rent and live in. People were driving around town looking at homes. More people were called to come over and load the truck back up. A long-term motel was booked for their family.

And that was only the beginning.  In the middle of all of this, a new fridge arrived for them that had been purchased for them after they discovered their home did not have a fridge at all.

A storage unit was found for them. Free.

Their long-term motel for the next few weeks – paid for.

God was blessing them, as well as my family, as we stood by and watched the grace, generosity, and love unfold.

All of this was on top of the gifts that arrived for them with generous gift cards, over 10 boxes of pizza for the helpers, and kindness. Loads of kindness.

All I could think was, “This is how God wants us to be. These are the kind of people we should be.” Generous. Giving. Forgiving. Gracious. Loving. Helpful.

It was so refreshing to see such authenticity and selflessness. It was so humbling.

I was inspired to be a better person. To be more giving and less selfish with my time and money.  And I was thankful that my grandkids, stepson, and daughter-in-law were in such good hands.

We can all be better people. We can all give more. Love more. Help more. We all have “more” that we can offer to others. We just need to make the effort.

Others will be better off from the love we show them. And so will we.