An Act of Anonymous Kindness

By Del Duduit

This past weekend, I was the recipient of a generous act of kindness. And so was an entire high school baseball team.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a local resident of the community who asked if I would consider speaking to the Minford High School baseball team about my book, Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best. I was excited to say yes.

This person, who shall remain anonymous, also bought copies of the book for every member of the team and even picked up the breakfast tab.

Wow.

I thought this was an awesome gift for a high school baseball player, and I was excited that 28 young men were going to read motivational and inspirational stories by some of their favorite athletes.

Who knows what impact it could have on them?

 

It was also special because Minford was the same team my youngest son played for when he was in high school. The photo at the top of this post was when my son was a senior. He is No. 7 and is leading the team in prayer.

But six years have passed since then, and I did not know a single player on the squad. However, I do know the head coach because he also played American Legion baseball with my son (I’m getting old.)

But the focus here is on the person who felt the desire to give each player his own autographed copy.

The magnitude of a person’s character is revealed when he or she does something this thoughtful, but doesn’t want others to know about it.

We need to see more generosity and humility in this world. This person donated money and time and allowed me to serve God as a willing tool.

Who knows if the players will take the time to dive into the book? I don’t know, but now it’s up to them.

The giver listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and obeyed, not expecting any recognition for good works.

Generous people see the world with a different perspective:

• They know that if they give with the right attitude, their happiness increases. Don’t give to receive something in return, except for the smiles on the faces of the recipients. “Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11: 1 KJV)
• They know there is a sense of accomplishment and joy in helping others. The easiest path to find happiness and success in your life is to help someone else find theirs.
• They believe that helping one person can make a difference. If one player realizes the need of a Savior, then the entire event was well worth the investment.
• They embrace the beatitude that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20: 35 KJV)
• They are in tune with what the Lord wants us to do as followers and submit. Every act of obedience demonstrates there is a higher authority in our lives.

I was not about to stand in the way of this person receiving a blessing. When someone wants to do something great for you and you resist, you are denying that person a blessing.

Never take a gift from the heart as an insult  – but rather accept it and smile. Be inspired to do the same for someone else.

The team was a tough crowd at first as they had just come off the first loss of the season to their rival, and they were a bit dejected.

But after the players filled their bellies with pancakes and bacon and listened to me talk for a few minutes about some of the inspirational stories in the book, their moods seemed to lighten.

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One act of kindness does make a difference.

And it confirms that what I am doing in my writing ministry matters. I fight discouragement often, and I needed this boost too. The timing was perfect.

What can you do for someone today? How can you go out of your way to minister to others? Are you doing it with humility, or do you seek recognition?

Let me know your thoughts.

Del Duduit is an award-winning writer and author who lives in Lucasville, Ohio with his wife, Angie. They attend Rubyville Community Church. Follow his blog at delduduit.com/blog and his Twitter @delduduit. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency.

His latest book, Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLB’s Best – can be purchased from New Hope Publishers here, or on Amazon here