I had to go to the police station to get fingerprinted (don't worry, Mom, this time it was for business...in a good way...state licensing requirements). I had a friend who was with me, and he brought his two young boys for the experience. Reminding them before we entered the facility that people who don't behave inside get locked up, they were perfect, quiet angels as we worked through the process.
When we checked in, the officer behind the glass smiled and offered to deputize them with badges on their shirts. This immediately reduced their fear of being thrown behind bars and put smiles on their faces. Then, as we paid and prepared to leave, they had a police car brought around front and invited the boys to climb in. As the two little deputies circled the car, played with the lights, and executed on their newfound authority, they lit up and left better for the encounter.
Unexpected kindness at the start and the end of the process left the city's youngest officers joyful, full of wonder, and feeling important. They flipped the script from fear to fascination simply by doing a little extra...
"For this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)
Talk about flipping the script with the unexpected! The world was looking for a mighty savior and God gave it a baby, then he had him killed a few decades later. And in doing so gave mankind more than they could ask for.
JC Penny said, it's the service we are not obligated to give that people value most. Unexpected blessings throughout our interactions with people are what they remember. Just giving them what they came for or expect isn't enough to be remembered.
Just enough is not good enough.
Do something memorable for someone. You don't have to give them your badge or a ride in your car, but random kindness is a good place to start. We simply told a parking attendant recently to have a blessed day, and they immediately smiled and said Thank you, nobody has ever said that to me before. It wasn't big, it wasn't costly, it was just different.
Every interaction with another human being is an opportunity to leave them better than you found them. Every customer, every teammate, every stranger, and every family member. Spread extra today. Extra kindness, extra blessings, extra love, and extra help. Don't be a commodity and don't just do your job...be an unexpected memory....in a good way!
The world wanted a king, but they got something infinitely extra. It was totally unexpected and left an impression that the world will never forget.