Give a Dress - Change a Life

Following on the Servolution book and the interview with Pastor Dino Rizzo, I wanted to share this story:

It was around 1991-2. The time is a little fuzzy to me. I was 21 or so. My Mom, sister and I were in the local Christian bookstore in my East Tennessee hometown. A lady was in who had recently given birth to a daughter with a cleft lip and some other issues. The lady was unmarried and a new Christian. She was discouraged and seemed somewhat sad. She lacked hope and was asking for prayer.

My Mom asked if she would be in the store for a few minutes. Racing home, my Mom dug into the closet and pulled out a brand new, frilly baby dress she had recently acquired from a friend. Hurrying back to the store she presented the dress to the lady. The lady thanked my Mom, maybe hugs were exchanged, I can't recall. We left. End of story.

Or so we thought!

3 years ago....14-15 years after this event, My mom was in the doctors office and was approached by this same lady. She remembered my Mom and all of our names. She reminded my Mom of the events stated above and in the words of Paul Harvey (an American radio host who recently passed) she began to tell us the rest of the story.

After receiving the dress from my Mom she realized God did care about her situation if He would prod a complete stranger to display a "random" act of kindness. She took baby pics with her daughter in the new dress. Hope being restored, she went back to school where she earned her degree. She found a nice man and got married. She had a couple more kids and got a good job. She told my Mom that this dress changed her whole life.

Matthew 7:12 says, "Always do for other people everything you want them to do for you. That is the meaning of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets."

1 Peter 3:8 says, "Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble."

Compassion, care and love do not always come easy. Sometimes the last thing we want to do is to go out of our way for a complete stranger. We were lucky enough, in this instance, to hear the results of a random (to us not God) act of kindness.

Every person you meet can be impacted for eternity by your actions, words and attitudes. That is both scary and awe inspiring.

Of course we have to have a basis for our actions. We can only truly love one another if we are firmly planted and rooted in Christ.

When that love is there, it is watered and we let it bloom.....it can change the world!