I know when you look at a photograph of a hawk your first thoughts are not of kindness. But if it were not for kindness, this photograph would not exist.
My son went on a mission trip with his school to Honduras, so I had to be up super early to see him off. Since I was already up, I drove to Dacula, GA, to photograph the birds at Little Mulberry Park. I arrived well before sunrise, so I waited in my car.
Finally it started to get lighter. I got out of my car and immediately heard the geese making all kinds of noise to the left of the lake.
There are docks in either direction where birds love to hang out. I prayed about which way I should start–right or left? Trying both, I still could not find the birds I normally see. I knew of one more place further around the trail, so I headed there.
As I walked around a bend, I stopped in my tracks. There before me was a beautiful red-shouldered hawk sitting on a post.
I started photographing him, then heard the footsteps of joggers behind me. I turned and asked if they would not mind walking on the other side of the trail so they would not scare the hawk off.
“Do you want us to wait a minute?” one of them asked. I thanked them and thought that was very sweet. Then another one said they could go in the other direction.
The trail is 2.2 miles around the lake, and they turned around and ran in the other direction! Another jogger came up, and I said I was sorry. When I turned around to thank him for waiting, he had already turned around and run in the other direction too.
Because the joggers were kind enough to do that for me, I was able to photograph the hawk for 20 minutes. The first two joggers had actually jogged the whole trail and were back to where I first met them. I thanked them again.
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:8, NLT)
There are so many fruits of the spirit that we can display. I am thankful the joggers showed kindness to me. It was something so small, but it meant getting my shot. They were willing to put me before themselves.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23, NASB)
What fruit of the spirit can you display to others today?
