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鈥淧ayday鈥檚 comin,鈥欌�� people often say, when crossed. But what goes around doesn鈥檛 always come around quickly. Not even when what went around was a kindness, great or small. Too often, we (myself included) accept those without bothering to pay even a little gratitude back. As though we deserve them.

A few weeks ago someone passed on to the Preacher and I, through mutual friends, their tickets for Ballet Jorgen鈥檚 version of Cinderella.

We enjoyed the show, and I should have called to say thanks the next day. Or the next. But the time was never right. I didn鈥檛 have the phone number and couldn鈥檛 find it in the book. I knew where they worked, but didn鈥檛 want to call their business. Excuses, excuses. Before I knew it I鈥檇 flipped a page on the calendar.

My call, a month overdue, brought a gracious response that humbled me. They sounded tickled. As though they never expected thanks. That made me feel worse.

We all take our turns, don鈥檛 we? Giving and taking both good stuff and bad stuff. Being grateful and sometimes forgetting gratitude. But when genuine gratitude comes your way, it鈥檚 hard to forget. Our friends, Doug and Dawn Woods, know that well.

For several years the Woods, another clergy couple, managed Siloam Mission in Vancouver鈥檚 Downtown East Side. That鈥檚 where Doug met a fellow in trouble with the law and ended up going to court with him as a character witness. Doug stood by him. Supported him emotionally. 鈥淚t was a little thing,鈥� he says now, 鈥渂ut he never forgot it.鈥�

Doug and Dawn鈥檚 kindness to the man didn鈥檛 end there. He had no cable TV, but he loved football, so in the next few years, they often invited him home to watch football games. They didn鈥檛 do it for thanks 鈥� they did it for love. Jesus would do that, they figured. They love Jesus, so they did it too.

One day, when Dawn planned an out-of-province trip, the man called to wish her a safe trip. The first time he left a message. The second time, Doug picked up. He thanked his friend for the good wishes; told him how much they were appreciated. The man鈥檚 response, he recalls, blew him away.

鈥淚 respect you and Dawn,鈥� their friend said. Then he added something Doug had never heard him say before. Something he never expected. 鈥淚 love you and Dawn.鈥� Doug says, 鈥淲hen I told Dawn this a few moments later鈥�well, I lost it. I was not looking for this and certainly did not expect this. This is what I think people call 鈥榩ayday鈥�.鈥�

Doug likes to tell people who are serving in difficult places, as he and Dawn did for years, that 鈥渨hen there seems no response or appreciation, your day is coming...your payday. So hang in there. It will be worth it all.鈥�

If you鈥檙e still waiting, listen to Doug. Every act of kindness done in Jesus鈥� name, God sees and blesses. That鈥檚 the best payday of all.