It's the little things in life

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's the little things in life that count"?
Many times doing something for someone else that doesn't cost much or even
anything at all makes a great difference in their lives.

This past week my sister and brother-in-law were visiting their daughter in
Phoenix, Arizona. At one point they were driving in town with the windows
down and came to a traffic signal and stopped. There was a man driving a car
(with the windows down also) that stopped beside them and as they were
sitting there he sneezed. Their grand daughter Adina said to the man, "God
Bless You", which surprised the man, but then he said, "Thank you," and they
went their way.

The thing about blessings is they almost always go two ways. I mean think
about it, when you do something to bless the life of others, don't you feel
better about yourself? Most of the time you will feel better about yourself
simply because what you did was the right thing to do. You made the right
decision, you took a positive action, and you blessed someone else. You
helped someone else and many times it didn't cost you anything.

There is a good chance you know the story Jesus told about a man we call
"The Good Samaritan," found in Luke 10:30-37. Read the words again and see
what happened in this life changing story:

"Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from
Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of
his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. "By chance
a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the
other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and
looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. "Then a
despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion
for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil
and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took
him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the
innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill
runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' "Now which of
these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by
bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then
Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." (NLT)

The Samaritan man in this story saw someone in need and did what needed to
be done. Yes, it cost him time and money. Yes, he may have put himself in
jeopardy physically and socially. But he blessed the life of this man from
another way of life because he saw a need. Most of the times God doesn't ask
us to do exactly what this man did, God does however want us to be observant
and bless the lives of others.

When is the last time you have blessed someone else? What about your husband
or your wife or you children or your coworkers. Maybe there is something you
can do to make this day a little brighter. It may be as simple as walking
the dog, bringing home flowers, fixing a favorite dish or simply saying "I
love you" or "God Bless you". You see, the simple things in life really do
make a difference.

Russ Lawson