A Simple Handshake

A Simple Handshake

You, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 10:19

My brother-in-law Phil and sister-in-law Marlene were in Prague visiting their friend’s parents, who split their time between living in California and the Czech Republic. It was during this trip that they heard the story of how this couple ended up in the United States several decades ago.

They escaped the Czech Republic (then known as Czechoslovakia) in 1968 with a mere one hundred dollars in their pockets, just as the Communists were taking over the area in which they lived. Although they both had college educations, they wondered how they would make ends meet once they arrived in the US. They landed in New York and, through the kindness of strangers, were sponsored by a private family and loaned enough money to rent an apartment and pay for their daily living expenses. This deal was struck with just a handshake.

The couple paid back the money within six months, and the husband went on to become an executive for Bank of America. Although the couple met the sponsoring family initially, they didn’t keep in touch over the years. To this day, the husband still can’t believe the sponsors trusted him with just a simple handshake. Relating the story to Phil and Marlene, he told them that he wishes the sponsors could have known how much their actions meant to his family and the long-term effects their act of kindness had on an immigrant couple’s lives.

We (or our ancestors) were once immigrants in America, and our spiritual ancestors were once foreigners in a strange land too, struggling to find their way and forge a new life. Scripture calls us to love foreigners out of this deep sense of empathy. How can you show love and compassion for those who are new to your community? You never know what kind of long-term impact your simple act of kindness may have.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Do something for someone who is a “foreigner” in your community, even if it’s just offering them a kind word or a smile.