Pay-It-Forward

What better way to lead into the week of Thanksgiving?  (which happens to be one of my most favorite holidays)

My amazing mother was given a neat opportunity and was willing for me to share here. I am really excited about this post!! 

KLRC Radio and ARVEST Bank in Northwest Arkansas sponsor “Pay It Forward” for the month of November. Each Friday they give $100 to someone, so that they can go out into the community and do random acts of kindness. On Friday, November 8, they chose me! They said they would call me back on the following Monday to see how it went.

What fun it was to begin to think of ways to surprise and bless people. I prayed for ideas and for my eyes to be open to opportunities. Immediately I thought of the Gospel for Asia Ministry, so I went online and bought some chickens that would be sent to a family in Asia.

Next I thought about all the foster families we have in our church. We had just had a speaker at church tell how we could help foster families by providing meals, babysitting, or providing clothes, etc. So, I made meals for three families.

When I got ready to check out at the grocery store, an elderly man let me go ahead of him, and I knew what to do: I would pay for his groceries. I left before seeing the man’s reaction, but I had such joy the rest of the day.

Next, I went to the Sonic drive-thru to buy some gift cards to send to some college students, and with the intention of paying for the car behind me, but no one showed up!  So, I headed to the gas station to help pay for some gas. I saw a woman pumping gas, so I drove around to where she was, but just as I got there, she was getting in her vehicle to leave.

The next day, I was determined that I would do the Sonic drive-thru thing and pay for some gas, so off I go. At Sonic, the same thing happened—no one drove up behind me. But, at the gas station, I was able to catch a woman pumping gas. I gave her $10 and explained the “Pay It Forward” concept. She said it was nice, but to please give it to someone more in need than she was.  Wow! I didn’t know it would be so hard to give away money.

With the rest of the money I bought a Chic-fil-A card for a veteran at church; bought items for an Operation Christmas shoebox; bought flowers for a single mom at church; and Sonic gift cards for some co-workers. With all that I did, I still have some money left, and am bound and determined to pay it forward at Sonic and the gas station.

Through it all, I felt like a secret agent on a mission to hand out joy, but I was the one who got the joy. It made me more aware of the people around me and how the smallest act of kindness can make a difference.  

These were the cards we made for Mom to hand out to each of the recipients.