Be a Barnabas (Part 4)
Here’s how things are going to go over the next several weeks. I’ll include a “Snapshot of an Encourager” and 10 More Ways To Be An Encourager until we reach 100 Ways To Be An Encourager.
Snapshot of An Encourager:
Contagious Kindness
For some reason, the Lord often speaks to me through movies. One of my favorite movies of all time is It’s A Wonderful Life. (If you don’t get that movie, I’ll pray for you, lol!)
It’s about a man named George Bailey who has all these big dreams and aspirations, but for a litany of reasons remains constrained to his home town of nowhere’s-ville Bedford Falls. Deep down he feels like a failure - that life and his dreams are passing him by - but he can’t see the good he’s doing all around him in day-to-day life.
Saving his little brother’s life when he fell through the ice.
Saving his grieving boss from a terrible mistake and career ruin.
Saving the family business from going under when his father passed unexpectedly.
Allowing his little brother to go chase his dreams while he held the family Savings & Loan together.
Saving the town’s people from the grips of the greedy and evil Mr. Potter.
One by one, helping the people in the town realize their dreams.
And when George is experiencing his darkest hour, it’s those same people he helped along the way that come to his rescue.
I have a visceral response when I see that movie. To this day, I can’t watch it without tears coming to my eyes, because I identify so much with George Bailey.
One of the beautiful lessons we can learn from this movie - and there are many - is the power of contagious kindness.
We’ve all heard stories of how someone started paying for someone’s food behind them at a drive-thru and how the movement continued for days as one person after another reciprocated that act of generosity to others. Or we’ve seen how a random act of kindness sparked a movement throughout a city.
I recently experienced this in my own life when I showed kindness to a stranger and I got to see the effects of it firsthand. I don’t share this to pat myself on the back, but simply to show how contagious your kindness and my kindness can be.
It was December of 2024 and I had just finished my job for the day. I manage a team of drivers who deliver medical home delivery prescriptions to post offices all over Georgia, but I also do a route myself because it’s a startup company.
I was sitting at a traffic light waiting to turn when I felt a jolt from behind.
Someone had rear-ended me.
If you have ever lived in Georgia, two things are inevitable: 1) you’re going to hit a deer at some point while driving at night (I’ve hit two in the last year); 2) you’re going to get into a fender bender. About every other car you see on the road has the scars to prove my point.
Anyway, it was clearly the other person’s fault. But I was fine, and my minivan that I use for delivery only had a small dent in the corner of the rear lift gate and some very minor damage to the bumper.
We exchanged information and numbers and it was all very cordial. I assured her I was not hurt in any way and that I would get a quote for the car but I wasn’t too concerned about it.
After leaving the scene, I went to a body shop and got a quote and was shocked to learn that it was $2,000.
I can’t explain it but the Lord put a burden on my heart for the other person. One of my own daughters had been in a fender bender a few months earlier where she was rear-ended from behind from an aggressive Georgia driver and he actually tried to sue her. That’s the world we live in today.
I thought of it being around Christmas and knowing that while it’s a joyful time, it’s also a financially stressful time.
I also knew that the quote was more than I had paid for the van when I bought it. When it comes to my delivery vans, I don’t care what they look like. I just care if the engine and transmission have plenty of life left in them. I bought it for $1,500 and sunk another $2,000 or so in repairs to get it running right. And I was just getting it broke in!
So the following is the text exchange between me and the other person involved in the accident:
Me: I did get a quote for our little fender bender the other day. I tried going somewhere reasonable but as you can see nothing is reasonable these days. This is my work van. I use it to run a mail route. It’s nothing special or much to look at but it’s reliable. As far as I can tell, none of the cosmetic damage affects the functionality of the vehicle. I’ve been praying about it and I’m okay with not doing the repairs. I want to do right by people because I believe that’s how Christ would have me to live. This is an expensive time of the year and I don’t want to add to your burden. Honestly, if my car were turned in on insurance, it would be totaled because of the low value of the vehicle and I’d rather keep my van (I bought it cheap but sunk enough into getting it running right that I’m still getting my money’s worth out of it!) All of that to say you’re under no obligation as far as I’m concerned and have a Merry Christmas!
Other person: Ryan,
I was coming out of my daughter’s band concert when I received your message and was truly taken aback, almost to the point where I really don’t know how to respond. Your kindness is just not something you experience everyday- but I can assure you, it is such a reminder to show everyone that same kindness because we all have our own struggles. Thank you, so sincerely, for your generosity! I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas as well! Would it be too much to ask for your address so I might be able to send you a handwritten thank you note? (I’m a little old school in that way.)
That was the long and the short of it. That was our only exchange until about a week ago (June 2025) when I got this large package from the town where the accident happened. I knew I didn’t know anyone from that town, but then I read the name on the box and it was the person from the fender bender!
In that package were all kinds of treats and gifts with an incredibly sweet card and $200 in it! This time I was taken aback and I felt obliged to share the letter:
Other person: I hope this card finds you and your family well. First, I must apologize for the extended delay in getting this to you. There is truly no excuse other than the days seem long but I blink and months have passed by. I wanted to thank you again for your gracious kindness regarding the repairs for our fender bender. Your message truly brought tears to my eyes as the holiday season is always a stressful time, as I believe it is for many. You did not have to be so kind to a complete stranger, but your act stuck with me all season and has for months after as well. Life has a way of eating away the good sometimes and I have tried to remember to show others the same grace and kindness you showed to me. We never really know what others are going through - and it shouldn’t only be when they are struggling that we show such kindness. Needless to say, I don’t know much about you, but I do believe I know your character and heart in the moments we spoke and the message you sent. I believe you have a true believer’s heart. It’s inspiring and I’m ironically thankful that we crossed paths. I hope that you and yours are all well, and enjoy the goodies as a small token of my appreciation for your generosity. Like I said, I don’t know much about you or your likes and interests, but I hope you enjoy all these items. I know the $ isn’t near the amount of the repair amount, but hopefully it can get you something nice! Many thanks again for the kindness and inspiration.
This time the tears were mine and I was the one who was inspired. I hardly gave another thought about that incident, but the other person had been inspired to pay that grace and kindness forward to others and now back to me. And in a month where I had been hit with some unexpected expenses, I get a surprise gift like this in the mail from something that happened 6 months ago.
Don’t tell me that kindness isn’t contagious or that it doesn’t matter!
To the person reading this, I hope this little story inspires you in some way to keep the movement of kindness going and to continue the ripple effect as you help others.
You never know how that one act of kindness will affect others.
10 More Ways To Encourage Others:
(31- 40)
31. If you know someone whose family is far away on the holidays, invite them over to share in your holiday meal.
32. Perform a random act of kindness to a stranger.
33. When someone is struggling, remind them that this is just a comma in their story, not a period (perhaps give testimony to how the Lord worked through one of your darkest times).
34. When you see someone handle a difficult situation with grace, tell them how much you appreciate how they handled it.
35. Send a care package along with a handwritten note to a college student.
36. Let someone know how you see growth in their life (maturity in relationships, increased responsibility, growing relationship with God, etc.)
37. When someone is hurting or struggling, ask if you can pray for them at that moment.
38. Send Thank You cards to the people who have helped you along the way (it’s a lost art).
39. Lend a helping hand to a neighbor or friend working on a project at their home.
40. Praise the people at your workplace whose job it is to keep the building clean (learn their names, thank them for their hard work, engage in conversation with them and learn things about their life).