Last week a young McDonald’s fast-food worker named Kenny provided a magnificent example of compassion.
His selfless act was described by Destiny Carreno, whose report has been viewed over 2.3 million times on Facebook and other social media. Here is what she wrote:
Seeing this today brought tears to my eyes! Compassion has NOT gone out of style.
Today I made a quick stop at McDonald’s after work. As I waited in line to order, an elderly handicapped gentleman wheeled himself over to the cashier in front of me. From what I perceived, the gentleman may have had a case of quadriplegia, the same medical condition my uncle has.
The man politely tried to ask the cashier something and it took him a few tries before either of us could understand he was saying, “Help me please.” Neither of us knew what help he needed, and the cashier suggested a few things before he figured out the gentleman needed help cutting and eating his meal.
To be honest, I thought the cashier wasn’t going to help, especially during rush hour in downtown Chicago, but to my shock, he shut down his register and disappeared from view….
Not to get away from helping him, but to wash his hands and put gloves on! I had to stick around and see how this would play out, especially since it hit me so close to home with my own uncle.
The cashier came out from the kitchen, sat down, and began cutting the man’s meal and helped him eat.
At that point, the tears started to gather in my eyes. My heart was so appreciative for what he did. I couldn’t contain my emotions in the crowded restaurant.
This employee, who put everything on hold for this man, went above and beyond his responsibilities to help this handicapped customer out. That was the kindest and most humble thing I had ever seen.
This inspirational story was picked up by reporters from NBC News, who managed to locate and interview Dan Garringer, the disabled man whom Kenny helped. (If a screen does not appear below, click here.)
When I heard this story, I was moved to pray, “Lord, please give me both the compassion and the courage that Kenny displayed when he shut down his register—risking the anger of other impatient customers—in order to serve this man.”
How about you? Would you like to develop a greater capacity for kindness and compassion so that these behaviors come naturally when you see another person in need?
One way to do so is to prayerfully practice the actions described in the Seven Steps to Empathy.
To cultivate compassion in your children, you can model and teach the character-shaping principles described in Raising Empathetic Children.
In an age when Christians are often viewed as being arrogant and judgmental, wouldn’t it be great if we instead became known for displaying the kindness and compassion that this young man modeled at McDonald’s last week … which of course was simply a reflection of the kindness and compassion we have received from God?
– Ken Sande
Reflection Questions:
- How should Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25:31-46 motivate believers to demonstrate compassion for those in need?
- How does the gospel prepare and inspire us to be compassionate toward others? (see Eph. 2:4-10; Titus 2:14)
- Watch the video that introduces 1,000 Acts of Kindness and mediate on some of the Bible passages in which God calls us to imitate his kindness by passing it on to others. Where would you most like to put these principles into practice in the days ahead?
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