Several Years Ago, The Devotional "Daily Bread" ...

Several years ago, the devotional “Daily Bread” told the following story:

When Sheila and Mark moved into their new home, Sheila wondered about the neighbors. Would they accept the children? What about the dog? She soon found out.

Shortly after they moved in, their kids were playing in the backyard and their football sailed over the fence into the yard of the elderly man who lived next door. When their son jumped the fence to get it, the man chased him out, swore at him, and told him it better not happen again.

A few days later her dog was barking and Sheila went out to quiet him.

The man was waiting for her.

He told her that if she didn’t keep the dog quiet he would call the police. Then he cursed again. Sheila’s dander rose. Her cheeks turned red. Hot, angry words came to her mind - but she didn’t express them. Instead, she prayed and she gave thought to how she could reach out to this man.

Later that day, while she was baking blueberry muffins, she made an extra batch. The, calling on God for courage, she took a large plate of them to the man next door. "I made these for you," she told him.

He didn’t say much. But he accepted the muffins.

And in the weeks that followed, Sheila continued to show kindness to him. Gradually his attitude softened, and one day she led him to Christ.