Softening Brown Sugar

Every time I do this, it amazes me. I had lumps of brown sugar in a bag. Sweet, yet useless for baking. I bought a plastic storage container and dumped the sugar in with a slice of bread. Three days later, the bread became hard and dry, while the brown sugar was pliable again.

It took just a piece of bread to do the trick. Something small, seemingly insignificant. Yet, its impact was great. The bread transformed the environment it was placed in. It gave of its moisture to soften the hard places around it.

This reminds me of how I have been the beneficiary of little deeds of kindness over the last several months. Sometimes the event or decision was the result of a random cause and effect. Other times, thought was put into the action. In spite of the donor's intentions, I was blessed. The hard parts inside of me were softened. For a restful moment, I looked heavenward and thanked God for His mercy and grace.

For instance, when I was given my teaching schedule for the fall, I noticed that my first period of the day was allocated as preparation time. My administrator did not know that I would be expecting our second child at the time he arranged this. In retrospect, this random timetabling result was much needed. There were many mornings I needed a few extra minutes of sleep due to either our daughter's nighttime teething episodes or moments of exhausting nausea.

One of the traditions my family has is placing a Bible reference at the bottom of cards. Admittedly, there are times I have taken it for granted, thereby forgetting to read the passage in the Scriptures (sorry!). This year I made it a point to open up my Bible and actually meditate on the verses. In both instances, the verses were what I needed to hear. Nehemiah 8:10 spoke of how the Joy of the Lord is my strength, a great reminder when I am prone to complain about the woes of being pregnant. Since I had just finished reading the book of Nehemiah, unbeknownst to my parents who gave me the verse, the message resonated even deeper.

My sister and her husband had written the reference Psalm 112 at the bottom of their card. When I read it, I was encouraged. At the time, hordes of anxious thoughts were running through my mind. For example, I was worrying about the reality of having only two children, which is what we have desired due to our age (and don't try to convince me otherwise :)). Recently, it has been a foreign thought for me since my husband and I have been a part of larger families. Only two kids? That's it? What if the children do not get along? What if something terrible happens to one and the other child ends up all alone? What if...? Psalm 112:2 abated my fears: "[Her] children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed." Other verses in the same chapter addressed additional issues I was grappling with such as the benefits of being generous even when we anticipate financial uncertainty in the future, or trusting in God and not fearing bad news.

So what am I trying to say? Do not underestimate the little deeds of kindness you may impart on other people's lives. It may be the difference between hard rock sugar and the soft yummy good stuff.

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