Doing the Right Thing

A couple of days ago I was walking along the seashore at one of my favorite spots... the Georgia Coast at St. Simons Island.  I was out on the beach fairly early, which meant I had most of the beach to myself.  Except for a few pesky Seagulls, it was a rare moment of solitude.  I passed by an abandoned beach chair, that someone had obviously placed earlier in the morning hoping to claim a prime spot once the sun got a bit higher in the sky.  It was one of those canvas kinds like you see at picnic or ball game that comes folded up in a cloth cover.  About the time I passed the chair, the wind picked up the cover and sent it dancing down the beach.  It would tumble for a few feet and stop... and then tumble a bit further.  I looked around and there was not another soul in sight... no one to retrieve the cover.  I knew that within a few moments, it would find it's way into the surf and would be lost forever.

And so I started a pursuit of the tumbling cover.  It took a moment or two, but I finally clutched it in my hand and began walking back to the chair.  I took the time to wrap it around one of the legs and tied it off with a big knot.  Being assured that it was there to stay, I turned and continued my walk along the shore.  The owner would no doubt return to the chair at some moment and discover that "someone" had  secured the chair cover.

It was a simple act of kindness, simply done.  It was not the kind of noble act that will change the world or even be noticed.  But sometimes, we just need to do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing.  Sometimes we need to act responsibly because that's what believers do.  We seize opportunities. We take advantage of a moment.  Walk through life long enough and you will discover a lot of opportunities to do good.  Faithful Christians should view such moments as opportunities to minister and not as distractions which interrupt life.  Get out your New Testament and read James 4:17.  "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin."  Something about living the Christian life forces us to get involved.  We cannot simply look the other way when God brings an opportunity to our doorstep.  So keep your eyes and ears open.  Before this week ends, you may have an opportunity to do the right thing... to help, to heal, or to offer a hand.  It won't matter if no one else is looking.  The praise of men is not why we do what we do, but instead, it's the gentle nod from our Father that matters.