An Act of Kindness on Valentine's Day

If you're a BYU student, you're probably familiar with the note shown below:

You might be familiar with this note even if you don't go to BYU. This story was picked up by every local station in Utah and even by The Daily Mail in the U.K..

But in case you're not, here's the really brief rundown: Brittany Molina, a 21-year-old accounting major, was studying in the library on Valentine's Day. For any girl, that would already be a drag. While she was studying, an anonymous male student passed her the above note and vanished. At first, she thought it was a Valentine, but obviously, it wasn't.This is what she was wearing at the time, by the way:

This is not outside the normal dress at BYU. In fact, here is the exact wording used in BYU's official Honor Code statement: 

"A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee; or is form fitting. Dresses, skirts, and shorts must be knee-length or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extremes in styles or colors. Excessive ear piercing (more than one per ear) and all other body piercing are not acceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas."

So here's my quick opinion about the guy that wrote that note:

1. You need to re-read the dress code statement.
2. If you feel the need to so brutally judge someone's spirituality based on the way they dress, at least pick someone that actually might need it.
3. Even if you do find someone who is breaking the dress and grooming standards, passing an anonymous note like that on Valentine's Day is tacky.
4. If you feel that what Brittany Molina was wearing makes you feel less "safe," you probably have a *cough* pornography *cough* problem. 

Anyway, I bring all that up because I wanted to share a story I heard in church today about another anonymous guy.

So this girl was sharing her testimony today in church and she talked about how she was also in the library on Valentine's Day, and there was guy wandering around with a large bouquet of flowers. He was walking up to all the girls who were studying alone and giving them a flower, wishing them a happy V-Day. And this girl actually teared up when she saw this guy going around, because of how kind he was being and how much she knew it must have meant to those girls (she was studying with another guy, so she didn't receive a flower herself).

Because of the media's taste for sensationalism, stories like this will almost never be reported, and this kid won't get the same media attention that Douchey McJudgemental will. Which is a darn shame, because I would much rather have my school be known as one that gives girls flowers rather than one that chastises them for wearing leggings.  Because of that, I wanted to share this short story with you, so that you can know that there are great guys out there who are willing to go out of their way to help a stranger.

TL;DR: Build people up by giving them flowers, rather than tear them down by calling them sinners.

Nine Dollars

The other day while walking home from work, I found nine dollars on the side of the road.  Provo had been somewhat stormy all day, so the money was gently fluttering in the breeze.  I quickly picked all the bills up before a stronger gust came through. 

As a bit of background, I am as broke as. . . well, a starving college student--so it was nice to see a little bit of luck come my way.  Then I saw a receipt right next to where I found the bills.  It was for a three entree meal at Panda Express, which was about 25 yards from where I was standing.  The person paid for their meal with a $20, and received $9.24 in change. According to the time on the receipt, they paid for it about ten minutes before I found the money.

I looked around for this mystery Panda Express customer and couldn't see anyone.  Then I walked into the Panda Express and looked for someone that had a three entree meal, and I couldn't see anyone that fit that description either.  At this point I decided that whoever it was that dropped the $9 was probably long gone and I should just keep the cash.

Is it weird to feel slightly guilty about this?  

I mean, I was basically rewarded for not finding the owner of the money.  I could have asked the cashier if they remember who got the three entree meal.  I could have left the money with them in case the customer came back for it.

But truthfully, I doubt that person would have gotten their money back regardless of my actions, so perhaps my guilt is coming from a similar, but different, source.  Maybe I'm just feeling guilty for not doing enough random acts of service lately.  After all, I could  be doing a better job of holding the door open for people, I could do the dishes in my apartment more often, and I could be more diligent with my New Year's Resolution of giving out five compliments a day.

I recently taught a Sunday School lesson title "As I Have Loved You, Love One Another."  The lesson focused mainly on the last supper and Jesus' final discourse to His apostles before His death.  One of the big points of the lesson was Jesus' example of service by washing the feet of his disciples.

The commandment Jesus gave right after performing this act of service was "That ye love one another; as I have loved you," (John 13:34).  Do you realize what a tall order this is?

Only a chapter or two later, Jesus says "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

"Ye are my friends," (John 15: 13-14)

Kind of makes my five-complements-a-day resolution seem somewhat insignificant in comparison, doesn't it?