What’s something you’ve done that your past self would be proud of?
Before I count the good things I’ve done, I will first count the grace bestowed upon me by God.
By grace, I was saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. By love, I am being built up in Christ to become a blameless person. By God-given wisdom, I stand in reverence before God and follow His precepts. These are not abstract ideas but lived testimony—traceable back to the time I first inquired about the purpose of life at around four years old.
So when I say I am proud of myself, I mean it this way—not because of what I am or what I have done, but because of who the Lord is and what He has done for me and for the world (John 3:16).
As the saying goes, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” I have lived my life to bear witness to the truth. Without grace, I would be nothing and would have nothing to give. With these holy gifts, I have experienced the joy of born-again life and the joy of sharing my gifts with others.
In my home city, Saturday is a flag-selling day—a traditional charitable event that gets everyone involved. Today’s territory-wide flag day for a charitable NGO serving disabled children was fabulous, and it is worth sharing under today’s prompt.
This morning, on my way to the hospital for volunteer patient visits, I crossed paths with many parents and their young children selling flags to passers-by. As I walked by each family, I stopped and bought a flag. The second-to-last family before me was a mother with her two sons, both under ten. Seeing the different coloured flag stickers on my shirt, they didn’t approach me—perhaps wondering whether I would buy more. To their surprise, I walked up to them and bought one flag from each of the two boys. The elder one proclaimed loudly, “I am going to give you a yellow sticker so that you can have a full set now!” His response was heartfelt—for I hadn’t been counting, but he had.
Though the encounter was brief, it was sweet and joyous—not for the sale, nor for the winning prize, but for connecting the beautiful hearts of two strangers and for creating lovely collective memories for us and for our city. I gave thanks to God that in His presence, love is here.
Graciously, I was born and bred in the city I am proud of. I am proud of those parents for embracing goodness and kindness, and for instilling in their children a care for people in need.
And yes—I am proud that I stopped, that I walked towards them, that I let a small moment become a shared one—like I do with every flag seller crossing my path. Perhaps these children will remember what they did today—something their past selves would be proud of. I surely will remember them—receivers and givers of grace.
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