Life hands us moments—brief intersections where kindness waits on our decision. Will we help or hesitate? Will we act or assume someone else will?
Paul’s words in Galatians 6:10 are clear:
“As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”
I learned this truth in a doctor’s waiting room. An elderly woman struggled to stand. My wife whispered, “Go help her.” I hesitated. “She’ll be all right,” I said. But Liz didn’t debate. She simply rose and offered her arm. When Liz was finished, she came back and sat beside me and whispered, “She has cancer of the spine.”
That moment haunts me still—not with guilt, but with clarity. I wasn’t cruel. I was cautious. Unsure if a stranger wanted my interference. But sometimes caution is just fear wearing a respectable coat.
You see, we only pass this way once. This hallway, this waiting room, this moment—they won’t circle back. The woman needing help today won’t need it tomorrow in the same way. The opportunity will vanish like a coin dropped into the ocean.
So do good now. Don’t wait for perfect timing or confidence or courage. Let love make you awkward. Let compassion make you bold. The household of faith thrives when we stop overthinking kindness and simply extend our hand.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.