He appeared out of nowhere.
He stood on our right side in front of us on the hot boardwalk of graying wood that radiated heat.
He wasn’t a big man, and looked like he was in his late twenties to early thirties. Clean cut and somewhat tanned, he approached us.
“Do you ladies need some help?” he asked with a smile.
My friend, somewhat embarrassed, said, “Thank you, but don’t bother. We’ll be all right.”
But I said, “Yes, we do!”
My friend, Teresa, and I were on a vacation in Destin and had been down to the beach early that morning. Walking in the famous brilliant white sugar sand is hard and takes some energy! Our feet seemed sucked down by the sinking, sliding white peaks of sand that held the sun’s heat.
We had taken as little as possible to the edge of the water where we put our chairs and sat as the tide tickled the shore and our toes.
Crystal clear emerald water stretched out before us, turning a beautiful blue and then slid into a sparkling violet shade on the horizon.
We each had a beach bag with a towel, suntan lotion and water. Teresa also had a small cooler bag with two ice packs and extra water.
As we started back to the car, we folded up our chairs, gathered our bags and began our flip-flop journey to the boardwalk beach access.
Because of some health issues, my friend struggles to walk in sand and the heat while carrying beach gear.
We stopped several times crossing the distance for her to catch her breath.
We didn’t know we were being observed.
Until the young man was suddenly in front of us.
“You looked like you need some help,” he explained, as he took our chairs, then our bags, and began walking with us to our car.
He shared that he was from Kentucky and I told him we had lived in Kentucky for 10 years.
We continued chatting as we made our way to the car, where he put the chairs and bags in the back of Teresa’s car for us.
We didn’t know how to express how grateful we were for his help as we thanked him, but he just said, “I was glad to — no problem,” and he turned and went back to where he was headed before he interrupted his day to come to our aid.
He was a stranger to us, as we were to him.
But he went out of his way to help us with kindness and respect.
What would the world be like if more people were like him?
Galatians 6:10 tells us, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Second Thessalonians 3:13 encourages us, “As for you, do not grow weary in doing good.”
Notice what is going on around you. Maybe you will have an opportunity to show kindness and do good.
We all need help sometimes.
