By Tan Cheer Cheers

Covid-19 has infected so many people around the world. It was spreading so fast in a short period of time thus causing many people to panic and they bought a lot of masks to stock up for themselves. The better way in such a pandemic is actually to give the mask to someone who is having cough, flu or fever. Compared to saving this healthy person alone, this will help that sick person to stop spreading the virus to everyone nearby including that healthy person. Hopefully the good habit of washing hands will continue even after the pandemic subsides.

Anyway, the topic I want to touch about here is to be infectious in good deeds. Have you come across people who did something good that unexpectedly touched your heart and because of that you are motivated to do good or join in helping? Without you realizing, you were just smiling because it came from within your heart. The good deed could be big or small, it doesn’t matter. At that moment you just felt like ‘I want to be more like this person,’ taking initiative, bringing joy and trying to make the world a better place. For example when you saw a stranger start picking up rubbish from the beach to throw into the dustbin, you were ‘infected’ by that action and wanted to do the same and help out.

An example from the Bible is in John 13:1-17 when Jesus suddenly washed His disciples’ feet. The disciples were shocked. “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶ Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” ⁸ Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

I was so nervous when I went for a job interview a few years ago. It was lunch time. I accidentally bumped into my boss once I entered the building (when at first I thought I would be well prepared to meet him in the office). I didn’t recognize him but he recognized me from my resume picture. He greeted me, bowed to me at 90 degrees (just like the Japanese but he is a Malaysian), shook my hand and invited me to follow him up the lift to his office. I was so shocked and remember that incident to this day. When compared with the other bosses I worked with, this one stood out.

There were so many times, numerous people have touched my heart. As a dentist, my job is to make people smile (on the outside) either by solving their toothache problem or beautify them to smile confidently. As a Christian, l hope that I can help people to even smile from within (from the heart).

A 70-something woman once shared this at Oprah’s show, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Let’s be infectious, doing good deeds according to God’s principles and wisdom everywhere and every time. You never know when you will touch a heart (maybe a soul even) and that someone may think, “Wow! She is different from other people, she is a Christian,” and thus glorify God.    

Also, do bear in mind Matthew 6:1-4 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

       “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7.

        God doesn’t see how rich or good looking or famous a person is. Since God will bring every work into judgment (Ecc 12:14) and there is a book of life with the names of the saved in it, let’s be in that book.