Pay It Forward - A Little Goes a Long Way

Pay It Forward is one of my favourite movies. I love the idea that we can do something for someone will affect their life and then they in turn will do something that will positively affect someone else's and so on, until the world is affected.

The Social Studies teacher had an assignment for each student in his class.  They each had to find something to do that would change the world. Trevor's idea was to find something big to do for three people, who would in turn do something big for three people, and so on. He found this hard to do, because not all the people he did something big to help was appreciated, accepted or paid forward. He almost gave up. Convinced he was right however, he carried on, and simply in the attempt, there was success.

What I love about this movie is it takes our minds off of ourselves and puts our thoughts on others. We can't be stewing in our own juices and thinking about our own woes if we are looking at the needs of others around us. I think that because the movie is a movie it has to go for the big dramatic flair and that's why they had Trevor wanting to do "something really big, something they can't do for themselves" as they thing he chose to do to pay forward.

However, I think the concept of paying it forward can be done every day. It may be a big thing like giving someone your car, or bringing a homeless person into your home, but it might be something smaller like anonymously paying for someone's lunch, giving someone tickets to a movie, or a small thing like holding a door open for somebody, carrying someone's groceries for them. The point is that you are doing something for someone else solely for their benefit, without looking for anything in return.

I see my husband do this quite often. I have seen him pay for lunches of people we don't know without them knowing it, bake pies and give them away to neighbours and near strangers, give money away, and many other examples. I don't tell you this so that you'll say "oh, what a wonderful person". I don't want you to say that. Because what we have done is between God and ourselves.

 I know that some people would consider things like this that we have done as irresponsible with our belongings and resources. I consider that our belongings and resources are not our, but God's and should be used for Him. Truthfully, we have been blessed with more than we have ever given away. He knows our needs and He meets them.

Consider blessing someone by Paying It Forward and bringing a smile to their face today. You never know when you will be blessed back.