Shoveling It Forward
Last weekend, after the snow ended in a small town in Wisconsin, a man who was shoveling out his driveway had a heart attack, and the fire department/rescue squad transported him to the hospital. These men then came back to his house and finished clearing his driveway. A video of their work was posted on YouTube, and the last I heard, over 400,000 people had viewed it. I hope those viewing were doing so as an affirmation of the kind gesture and genuine help that was given, and not as a novel, unusual event. Either way, these men showed by their actions how members of a community care for one another. The project has since been dubbed “Shoveling it Forward” — there seems to be a need to give every activity that occurs a title, but I have to admit this is pretty catchy.
The expression and practice of “paying it forward” has been around for a while, and truly is a form of Christian service and giving. To help another person with no expectation of repayment, but rather because they need help, is what Jesus calls us to do. These Wisconsin firefighters did what they knew was needed — no committee was formed, no polls were taken. They just got their shovels and went to work.
Most of us have made simple gestures of generosity, such as donating school supplies for children in foster care, or providing support for local missions of mercy, and we don’t expect anything in return, because we know that we have helped someone who needed it. Take a moment and remember what Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 25, describing his return in glory, and how he welcomes those who cared for the hungry and thirsty, the needy, the strangers, the sick and the prisoners. “. . . as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” (v. 40)
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers