Today, I was getting ready to walk to the gym from our house and I was looking for a pair of sunglasses to wear outside. I realized the pair I usually used was in the car and I honestly didn’t feel like walking to the garage at the time, so I rummaged around the drawers in our entry-way table to see if there were any other sunglasses laying around. At the bottom of a drawer, I found a pair in a plastic sleeve. They were a free pair we got at a recent community event from the Toyota booth. They were blue tinted shades that had the words “TRD PRO” on each side. There was no weight to them, in fact my 8-month-old son could probably crush them if he rolled over them. I hesitated as I pulled the glasses out of the sleeve and put them on. My initial thoughts were, “These are cheaply made. I should just give these away. I don’t want to be the guy that is caught in public wearing free ‘TRD PRO’ sunglasses.” But then I checked myself and thought, “They’re just a tool to keep the sun out of my eyes. You’re fine, get over yourself. Don’t worry about what any random stranger may think.” With that, I slipped them on and began my walk to the gym.

The gym is across a pedestrian bridge and located in a local town center with shops and restaurants. Along the way, there are townhomes and as I was about halfway there, I heard the voice of a little girl say, “I like your sunglasses!” I swung my head quickly to the direction of the voice and saw a girl who looked about 3 years old standing in front of a screened off window waving at me with a smile as she said it. Luckily, I had enough awareness to smile back at her, wave and say a joyful thank you as I walked by.

That sincerity from an innocent child is what we are all called to have. Such a simple act of kindness can change the trajectory of a person’s day. There I was initially dreading the idea of wearing these sunglasses all for a little girl to remind me that God’s love is bigger than my ego. She didn’t care where or what type of sunglasses they were, she probably just liked the color blue. It’s similar with God. He doesn’t care about how cool we look, what car we drive, what we do for work, etc. What actually matters is if we are obedient to his will and love one another the way he loves us.

This interaction reminded me of Matthew 18:1-5. The disciples were asking Jesus who will be the greatest in heaven.

“He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” -Matthew 18:2-5

Needless to say, God was there to give me my dose of humility for the day. The little girl’s small act of kindness inspires and reminds me of the importance of incorporating those acts of charity in everyday life. We may be the only light that someone encounters in the day and our acts may lift up their broken spirits. These acts of love build up the body of Christ and please our Lord. Start, or in my case continue, the chain reaction of good deeds. So, remember to smile and say hello to the person walking past you on the sidewalk, open the door for someone, wash the dishes for your family, sincerely apologize when you wrong someone, give a hug to a friend in need, send a kind text, or phone a loved one you haven’t spoken to in a while. There are many acts of kindness and charity we can perform that don’t cost us anything but a little effort. Of course, we cannot forget to pray for others too, but sometimes these visible acts of charity are necessary to show people that God’s love is ever-present in our lives. St. James famously said, “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” -James 2:17.

May the Holy Spirit guide us as we go out and share our light with others.

“‘Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.’” -Matthew 5:16

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” -St. Mother Teresa

Go and Encounter God

Blessings,

Vincent