Kind to the Bone - Martin Wiles

Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 NLT

Six hundred miles was a long way to move a middle school student.

The year was 1970, and I was ten years old. Dad, a freshly ordained Southern Methodist minister, decided he’d move our family from Orangeburg, SC, to Jackson, TN. I suppose the move itself wouldn’t have been as bad had it not taken me so far away from the grandparents who spoiled me. They lived in Orangeburg, and my other grandparents lived 30 minutes from there. 

Fortunately, my grandparents in Orangeburg made the situation easier. I was invited to spend every summer with them. Better yet, my grandfather drove an ice cream delivery truck and cleared it with his boss so I could work with him. What better job could a pre-teen have? I ate all the free ice cream I wanted, lounged around in the refrigerated part to retrieve ice cream for customers, received free lunches, and was paid $20 each week. 

For three summers—the entire time my dad pastored in Jackson, I left for Orangeburg as soon as school was out. Two of those years, my grandmother boarded a Trailways bus and came for me. The last year, my parents allowed me to hop a Delta Airlines plane and make the trip myself. I suppose they thought a 12-year-old was mature enough to handle the flight alone. 

In the midst of all the selfish advantages I received from working with my grandfather, I couldn’t help but notice his kindness. Store owners who were rude to him were greeted with kindness. Never a harsh word. Never an angry look. Never a “You can find somebody else to deliver your ice cream.”

And then there were the kids who couldn’t afford to buy ice cream but who mauled his truck at some of the Mom and Pop stores. “Hey mister, you got any free ice cream?” they’d ask. Most of the time he did. A busted carton or one that was smashed during the loading process. Pieces a store owner wouldn’t pay for, and pieces my granddaddy wouldn’t stock because it would make the company look bad. Those little eyes bulged with anticipation as he opened one freezer door after another until he found some freebies. My granddaddy lived out what Paul instructed believers to have: kindness. 

Whether it’s returned or not, just show kindness. 

Prayer: Father, as You are kind to us, so motivate us to show kindness to others.

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