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If you got mugged by a punk teenager wielding a knife, would you willingly offer him your wallet? How about your coat? Would you buy your attacker dinner? How about giving him $20 for the road?
Why not? Julio Diaz did.
After a long day in February of 2008, the 31-year-old social worker unwound by sticking to his nightly routine: exiting the subway one stop early so he could eat at his favorite restaurant. But this night would be anything but routine.
As Diaz walked up the stairs to street level, a teenage boy came up, pulled out a knife, and demanded his wallet. “Here you go,” said Diaz as he gave the young man what he demanded.
As the teen bandit walked away, Diaz yelled after him, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
The young robber was taken aback. “Why are you doing this?” he asked.
Diaz’s answer was filled with compassion. “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me…hey, you’re more than welcome.” It was an offer the young man couldn’t refuse.
Now the social worker was in his element: one-on-one time with a troubled kid…at his favorite diner!
As they sat down in the restaurant, the manager, dishwashers, and waiters came by the table to greet their frequent customer. The young man was taken aback. “You know everybody here,” he said. “Do you own this place?”
“No, I just eat here a lot,” Diaz joked.
“But you’re even nice to the dishwasher,” exclaimed the young hooligan.
“Well, haven’t you been taught you should be nice to everybody?” Diaz asked.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” said the surprised teen.
When the bill finally arrived, Diaz sheepishly told the young man, “Look, I guess you’re going to have to pay for this bill ‘cause you have my money and I can’t pay. But if you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.” The teen didn’t waste a moment in returning the wallet. After Diaz paid the tab, he gave the young man $20…in exchange for the knife, of course.
In reflection on the night’s events, Diaz reckoned, “I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”
Kindness. It’s just as simple – and noticeable – today as it was when Jesus taught about it 2,000 years ago. In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed the crowds with this simple truth:
Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12).
Kindness still works.
Click here for the online report.
Topics Illustrated Include:
Compassion
Danger
Generosity
Grace
Jesus’ Teachings
Kindness
Mercy
Money
Risk
Robbery
Steal
Surprise
Teens
Threat
(Resource cataloged by David R Smith)
