Pay It Forward

The Responsibility to Pay It Forward

Life is full of challenges. Different for every person.

For me, this past year has been defined by some of the hardest moments of my life.

Losing my dad to cancer.

Watching my mom become partially paralyzed after a terrible accident.

All while raising my own family and making sure I'm reaching my true potential.

With all the pain, I’ve witnessed greatness. And I've witnessed an outpouring of kindness. Service that felt god sent. Generosity that left me speechless.

And now, I feel a deep responsibility to pay it forward.

What I’ve witnessed

When my dad was bedridden and my mom was hospitalized, people showed up in ways I’ll never forget. Neighbors dropping off groceries before we even knew what we needed. Friends covering childcare. Strangers donating through a GoFundMe. Some writing checks I never imagined possible. It carried my parents through a darkest time.

And then there were words. Words that lifted. Words that reminded me who I was, and what my family meant to others. Words that came from people who had walked their own valleys of grief and loss. They knew what to say, when to say it, and how to make me feel better.

These acts of kindness weren’t small. They shaped me. They lit a fire in me that will never go out.

The Call to Do the Same

Here’s what I’ve come to believe.

Gratitude isn’t enough on its own.

If someone pays for your food in a drive-thru, you don’t end the chain. You keep it going. You pay it forward.

When life knocks you down and others lift you up, you don’t just say “thank you” and move on. You turn around and look for someone else to lift.

For me, it’s looked like buying groceries for friends we recently met.

Or buying frozen egg rolls from a coworker trying to make ends meet whose dad was fighting cancer.

Or sharing words of encouragment through the puplit and ward newsletter.

Each time I’ve had the chance to pay it forward, it’s been more than just a good deed.

It’s been a sacred experience.

Why It Matters

I’ve always been taught that money is a magnifier. it makes you more of who you already are. But this year I’ve learned that kindness is the same way.

When people give freely, when they show up without hesitation, it multiplies. It inspires the next person to act. And slowly, quietly, it changes the world.

That’s the responsibility I feel now. To not let the chain end with me. To use what I’ve been given (time, money, perspective, even pain) and turn it into something that helps someone else.

Takeaway

We don’t get to choose most of our challenges. But we do get to choose what we do with them.

So here’s the principle I’m trying to live by:

When you’ve been blessed, be a blessing. When you’ve been lifted, lift. When you’ve been comforted, comfort.

That’s what paying it forward really means. And to me, that’s what becoming like Christ looks like in real life.