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“An
Act of Kindness: A Different Sort of War Story”
For
example: If you visit a certain museum in Eindhoven, Holland you may notice
aerial photographs taken on the day American paratroopers liberated the city
from the Germans in 1944. The fascinating story of how those photographs came
to the museum is an amazing series of coincidences that shows how kindness can
stretch across continents and even cultures. “Skee”
Ramsey, a member of our church told me that several years ago, her daughter
Katherine, was given the opportunity to tour Europe with a concert band. In
Holland, she stayed with a couple in Bergeyk. A friendship developed and the
two families kept in touch regularly. When Katherine went back to Europe to
continue her college studies, it was this same Dutch family that went out of
their way to pick her up at the airport and drive her safely to the University
in Belgium. Several
years later, the same family visited the United States and stayed with their
American friends. At one point, “Skee” began to thank them for taking such
loving care of their daughter. The husband replied, “I have always felt that
if I ever had the chance to do anything for an American, I would do it.” He
went on to describe one special day in 1944 when he and his father went up to
the roof of their house in Eindhoven to watch the 101st Airborne of
the United States Army drop from the sky in parachutes and special gliders. The
boy turned to his dad and asked: “Are the Germans leaving?” The father
replied, “No son, the Americans are coming.” A
relative of “Skee’s” who served as an Intelligence Officer during the war and
helped to plan the campaign that liberated the Netherlands, heard the story of
the grateful Dutch family and began looking through his old souvenirs. He found
several aerial reconnaissance photographs of Eindhoven that were made that day
even detailing some of the gliders used by the paratroopers. The photographs
were given to the couple who then donated them to a local museum. Can
you imagine having the opportunity to witness the stunning rescue of your
countrymen and your family? Because of this awe-inspiring moment a Dutch couple
would forever look for opportunities to show kindness to America, a nation that
sent the very best of its population oversees to rescue others from tyranny! No
wonder celebrating Memorial Day is so significant! Memorial
Day is a vivid reminder of the times when our country bravely met the challenge
to fight and refused to bury its collective head in the sand. Good men and
women died for our country and it is a day to remember their sacrifices. Like
most citizens, our country’s involvement in Kosovo concerns me. How deeply do
we get involved? The story of a grateful Dutch couple in Holland will forever
remind me that sometimes the kindest thing we can do is fight. Paul’s
short letter to Philemon says a lot about kindness: “I always thank God when
I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing of your trust in the Lord
Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. You are generous because of your
faith. And I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work, for
in so doing you will come to an understanding of all the good things we can do
for Christ.” (1:4-6) The
definitive act of kindness is to trust God enough and love God’s people enough
to be willing to sacrifice everything… even your life. Few can claim that sort
of courage without the supernatural love of God. Maybe that is why we so
desperately need to pray! |