The Secret Snowplowing

The Secret Snowplowing

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Matthew 22:37-39

“No one ever offers to help,” the woman, an acquaintance from church, said. There was anguish and even a hint of anger in her voice. Sitting across the table from her at a French restaurant for dinner with several other girlfriends, I could hear the frustration she felt. She was a young wife and mother, and her husband’s job required him to be gone for long periods of time.

As we talked about the challenges she faced as the only parent in the home during those weeks, she admitted that, by and large, our Minnesota winters brought some of the toughest hardships. When storms would come, snowdrifts piled high in the driveway, and with two children to care for, she often struggled to find the time to clear it. Early in the morning or late at night, she’d have to squeeze in time between her job, meals, and bedtime to shovel the snow off her driveway and sidewalk.

Her neighbors were busy people, with demanding jobs and families to care for. She would see them outside, clearing their own driveways, while hers sat neglected. They were nice people, and it was a pleasant neighborhood, yet no one ever offered to help. No one saw her need.

The next winter, recalling her story, we secretly contacted a snow-removal service and arranged for her driveway to be plowed each time it snowed. It was nothing more than a simple phone call, some money out of our blessing budget, and a few minutes out of our day, but when the service called and told her the news, she cried.

When Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, it’s meant both figuratively and literally. I’m sure this woman’s neighbors were busy with their own lives, and no one was intentionally trying to be unkind. Perhaps they had simply never noticed her need. But I’ve found that when you look for opportunities to be kind, they are always there.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Look for something kind you can do for a neighbor.