I received a text from a Sonshine Friend visiting Portugal. He was visitng the Chapel of the Bones in Evora. This monestery chapel is filled with bones from the monks who had lived and served in the local monastery. The bones are a tad gruesome hanging up on the walls of the church, but their purpose was to allow the remaining monks to pray for their souls so that they would go from purgatory back to heaven. It was recorded that wealthy merchants would have their bones and skulls hang form the rafters to hedge their bets to get into heaven. So much for piety.
However, when my friend left the church, he found a parking ticket on his rental car. What happened next is a “God moment.” I am passing on his story for your reflection.
“So
do good and honest people still exist? I think this is a question I have
struggled with for years. Always protect yourself…trust very few.
I got a parking ticket earlier this week in Evora which is about 3 hours away
from
Lagos where we are staying. After trying for a couple of days to resolve
it with the authorities in Evora, I was getting no where fast. If I didn’t pay
the fine, I would have a $300 fine attached to me that had to be paid before I
could return to the country…. The fine is $18.72 euro.
I returned the car and explained to the agent that this all happened and he
said that this isn’t a problem and that he would pay the fine for me. I
insisted on paying him the amount due as well as more for his trouble. I was
notified today that the fine was paid and all was well.
I went back to the rental agency to thank him but he wasn’t there. Will return
tomorrow to thank him and drop off some pastries.
It is so refreshing that total strangers take care of total strangers. Lesson
learned. We all need to take this to heart and pay it forward. What a wonderful
world this will be!
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who go beyond the call of duty in serving and caring for others. May the Good Lord reward you for all the unknown generous deeds you have performed in this life. Pay it Forward.
