Yesterday I had a medical procedure for which I had to be anesthetized. All went well but since I was under anesthesia for the procedure Cathy had to drive me home. On the way home she told me, “I made a new friend today.” There was a young man in the waiting room with her. While many will remain quiet and stay to themselves in those situations, Cathy will seem to tune in to those who may need a word of encouragement. He was there while his mother was being treated at the same time as my procedure. She began talking to the young man discovering that he was the only child of his widowed mother and felt a need to give him a ‘little happy’. Next week we will celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary. Over these 40 plus years I have learned to expect her ‘making new friends’ in various situations and someone a ‘little happy’.
That term and practice of giving someone a ‘little happy’
originated with my mother who was a lot like my wife when it came to having
a compassionate heart. Mother would often slip a $20 bill in her letters and
cards. These were the days before texts
and email when people actually mailed letters and cards to loved ones. She would also give her grandchildren a ‘little
happy’ when visiting. Cathy
told me of her feeling the need to encourage the young man in the waiting room so
she gave him the ‘little happy’. I
had given her my wallet before the procedure so she smiled and told me that I also
gave him a ‘little happy’.
The Bible tells us that each person who is born of the
Spirit receives Spiritual gifts. The gifts
are identified in Romans 12, I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. A Spiritual gift is an extraordinary power or
ability given by the Holy Spirit. For example,
I was given the Spiritual gift of prophecy or proclamation. That is the only way to explain how a shy
young man who sweated bullets through his required 3-minute speech in Mrs.
Brewer’s high school speech class and later had a 40-year career preaching the
gospel on 5 of the 7 continents. I was always
truly amazed at the end of each sermon that it had actually happened. One can ‘sharpen the ax’ or improve
the gift(s) but if God had not given me the gift, then all the speech, theology
and preaching classes in the would not have produced the gift. It is imperative for each of us to discover
our gift(s) and put them to that special use serving God and helping our
fellowman. It is also important to allow
the gifts to be practiced and used freely by those who possess each gift. That is how God allows us to be His hands,
feet and voice in this world. We
practice the gift but it comes from God.
Now back to Cathy. If
one were to Google the Spiritual gifts of ‘Helps’ or ‘Mercy’ a picture of Cathy
would pop up. We all should seek to help
and have mercy on others but the possessor of these gifts possesses a special certain
God given ‘radar’ to see a need then apply mercy and help. I learned this about her early on in our
marriage as I was looking after to my new wife while she was in the hospital. During our first year of marriage, she was
diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Diagnosing these diseases required a series
of unpleasant tests…as you can imagine.
After several days in the hospital undergoing a battery of unpleasant
tests our oncologist came into the room making his early morning rounds saying,
“How are you feeling today?” She
replied, “I’m OK but how are you? You
seem tired.” He lowered his clipboard,
took a breath, and replied; “I had a long and difficult night. I lost a patient. Thank you so much for asking!” Although she was the patient, she was aware
that her doctor needed some compassion and mercy after one of his patients died
during the night.
So, I have learned over these 42 years not to ask “who
are you buying the muffins for?” when we are grocery shopping. I didn’t notice the homeless person in the
parking lot…but she did. Or when she keeps
the muffins or cookies in the grocery bag and has me stop at the home of the 94-year-old
widow who lives up the street. Or when
she gets to the car and reaches in her purse or asks me for some cash, I
realize I did not notice the ‘special needs’ young man with whom she talked
with while he bagged our groceries. Or
recently when she bought $3 worth of tomatoes from the older man who was braving
the dog days of South Carolina heat selling vegetables from his garden on the
side of the road. I gave her $20 and she
came back with no change. They all
needed ‘a little happy’.
Practicing her gifts of helps and mercy also gives her ‘a
little happy’ from God. There is no
joy better than knowing you are doing what God placed you on this planet to
do. It also does me good and gives me
‘a little happy’ to see her helping and applying mercy to others. One of
Mother Teresa's favorite texts in the Bible, which she often quoted to support
her ministry to the poor, is; "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
(Matthew 25:40). Which, not surprisingly,
is one of Cathy’s favorite verses as well.
As you go about your life seek to discover that unique gift
that God has given and blessed in your life and then freely practice being His
voice, hands and feet. We all have times
when we can give or use ‘a little happy’!
