Kindness Reciprocated Unexpectedly

Many years ago two young men were working their way through Stanford University.  At one point their money was almost gone, so they decided to engage the great pianist Paderewski for a concert and use the profits for board and tuition.  Paderewski's manager asked for a guarantee of two thousand dollars.

The students worked hard to promote the concert, but they came up four hundred dollars short.  After the performance, they went to the musician, gave him all the money they had raised, and promised to pay the four hundered dollars as soon as they could.  It appeared that their college days were over.  "No, boys, that won't do," said the pianist.  "Take out of this sixteen hundred dollars all your expenses, and keep for each of you 10 percent of all the balance for your work.  Let me have the rest."

Years passed.  Paderewski became premier of Poland following World War I.  Thousand of his countrymen were starving.  Only one man could help--the head of the U.S. Food and Relief Bureau.  Paderewski's appeal to him brought thousands of tons of food.  Later he met the American statesman to thank him.  "That's all right," replied Herbert Hoover.  "Besides, you don't remember, but you helped me once when I was a student in college."

- Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)

A Simple Yet Genuine Act Brings Much Comfort

Mr. Sam Rayburn was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives longer than any other man in our history.  There is a story about him that reveals the kind of man he really was.

The teenage daughter of a friend of his died suddenly one night.  Early the next morning the man heard a knock on his door, and, when he opened it, there was Mr. Rayburn standing outside.

The Speaker said, "I just came by to see what I could do to help."

The father replied in his deep grief, "I don't think there is anything you can do, Mr. Speaker.  We are making all the arrangements."

"Well," Mr. Rayburn said, "have you had your coffee this morning?"

The man replied that they had not taken time for breakfast.  So Mr. Rayburn said that he could at least make coffee for them.  While he was working in the kitchen, the man came in and said, "Mr. Speaker, I thought you were supposed to be having breakfast at the White House this morning."

"Well, I was," Mr. Rayburn said, "but I called the president and told him I had a friend who was in trouble, and I couldn't come."

- Charles L. Allen, Perfect Peace (Fleming H. Revell Co., 1979)

Kindness Instead Of Revenge

There was a sheep-raising farmer.  Next to him there was another farmer who was raising wheat, children, and large dogs.  The dogs were scaring the sheep.  The sheep farmer did not know what to do.  He could shoot the dogs or poison them, be nasty to his neighbor, or even take him to court.

He prayed about it...

As soon as some new lambs were born he gave each of his neighbor's children one of the lambs as a pet.  The children were thrilled.  But their father could no longer allow his dogs to run rampant as before.  He restrained them for the sake of the pet lambs.  The two farmers became friends.  Kindness won.

- submitted by Dennis Kamper, Parables, Etc. (July 1992)