What’s Percolating? Paying it forward brings joy

April 2 was Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, which begins the holy week. According to biblestudytools.com, “It is the day that we remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as Savior and King. As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches … across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment. The hundreds of people shouted ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ ”

I say to you Hosanna! These many years after Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem, I still feel that sense of anticipation for the promise of rebirth, renewal and salvation that he brought to the world, as we celebrate Easter each year. I waved my palm branch along with the rest of the congregation in church on April 2 and thought with mixed feelings of sadness, gratitude and awe about what I knew Jesus was facing during the final days of his life on earth.

In today’s world, we use the term “paying it forward” when we do an act of kindness for someone and not only expect nothing in return for ourselves but also hope that the person we helped will pay that kindness forward to someone else. As I thought about Jesus and the sacrifice God made of his only son to take on the sins of the world and make us born again, washed clean in living waters, pure as the fleece of a young lamb, I knew the sacrifice of the son of God was the ultimate act of paying it forward.

God sought nothing but our salvation. Jesus looked for nothing during His time on earth other than bringing people close to God to feel His love for us. Jesus truly embodied love and acceptance for everyone. It hurts my heart and makes me upset when people use Christianity and religion as weapons of hate or harm.

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin.” — Romans 3:22-25

One day recently after work I went to Roanoke Rapids for my monthly chiropractic appointment. When I left the office, I wanted to stop by the fire department and see my husband for a few minutes. I thought it might be nice to take the firemen something for dinner or dessert. I texted my husband and found out what they were having for dinner and that they already had a dessert, so I decided to go through the BoJangles’ drive-thru and pick up some cheddar biscuits.

When I pulled up to pay for the biscuits, I found out the car in front of me had paid for my order. I almost teared up at that simple act of kindness. Feeling that joy in my heart, I knew I needed to pay that kindness forward to the car behind me, so I took what I was going to pay for my small order, doubled it, and applied it to their order. The person in front of me had no idea that they did a kindness not only for me but also for four hungry firemen. I have no idea to whom I passed along that kindness, but I hope I brought them the same bit of joy that I was given.

Again, I say to you Hosanna! We are blessed with the remembrance of the ultimate act of sacrifice, love and forgiveness at Easter. I pray we pay Jesus’ sacrifice forward in our own lives by sharing the light of God’s love and forgiveness with others.

To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the only way to fight against the hate is so often shown in our broken world is through love. The only way to drive out the darkness is through light.