You have likely heard the term "paying it forward" before. When someone pays it forward for another person, they're doing that person a favor that wasn't asked of them. They're giving back to people, not necessarily ones they know, with kindness. This is often thought of as someone paying for others behind them in the drive thru or in line at a store.

This example from my life is hard to forget because of the environment and the circumstances. I was on a mission trip in Chicago at a store near the place we were serving at/staying. When I got to the register, I was paying for some candy as well as toy cars I bought to give my younger brother as souvenirs.

Pulling out my wallet and counting the money, I realized, and explained to the cashier, that I didn't have enough money for the last item so I'd just put it back. However, a few seconds later (after having my back turned) the cashier told me that I indeed did. Once again, I turned around, and I didn't see anybody in all four directions. I thought about how amazing that anonymous favor was as I walked out of that store to meet my friends and youth pastor outside. I quickly told them about it excitedly.

The main reason I was so amazed was that beforehand, I had been informed that area in Chicago is filled with people with financial struggles. I know for a fact it wasn't someone else from my youth group because I walked out of the store after everybody else.

As a matter of fact, I can think of at least one instance where this has happened to be and the person even used those exact words.

Approaching two years ago, on July the 2nd, 2015, were getting ready to go for the decently long drive from where we live to the fireworks store we go to every year. Our car was down, but my dad managed to get our neighbor to let us borrow hers. There were a couple delays and, just as we were getting ready to leave, a bad storm was blowing up. We decided we were going to try to beat it instead of waiting it out because we weren't sure if we were going to get another chance to get up there and buy fireworks for Independence Day. We didn't beat it. In fact, it was pouring buckets of rain and the wind was sucking the doors open at the gas station we stopped at.

About 50 miles in, the road starting getting really, really slick and we started to swerve a little. After crossing a bridge, the car fishtailed and dad almost recovered, but lost control of it before we slammed into the guard rail on the interstate doing at least 50 Mile per hour, spinning us 360 degrees in the middle of the road with semi trucks behind us, hit the guard rail and spun all the way around once more before finally coming to a stop on the shoulder of the road. It turns out that the neighbor hadn't replaced her tires in ages and they were totally bald, some with the steel belts showing. The right rear tire popped just as we started to cross the bridge and that's what made us fly all over the place.

A guy and his family in a minivan behind us saw what happened and stopped to see if we were OK. Despite hitting the rail twice, there was actually very little damage, even cosmetically. he gave us a ride to the next exit and dropped us off at a fast food place that just so happened to be literally right next door to a tire shop and gave us all the cash he had with him. We introduced ourselves and I told him I was going to pay him back with interest eventually and he replied with "Pay it forward. Give it to someone who needs it."

Obama, president at the time, just so happened to be in Nashville the same day and that, combined with the storm, resulted is several roads being closed and we wound up waiting the whole day for a flat bed to pick the car up and bring it back to the shop so we could get a replacement tire. Even with the money we brought to buy fireworks with, we wouldn't have been able to pay for the towing, the tire and having it mounted if not for that extra wad of cash he'd given us.

m0ssb3rg935 : That's such a cool story. I'm not only amazed that there wasn't much damage from the accident, and that the guy gave you all his money. But also I'm amazed that all of that ended up working out despite the rain and closed roads. You did end up actually buying the fireworks and going home, right?

Well, not that day. By the time we got the tire replaced, we were broke and it was getting kinduh late. We did go two days later, though. Our now late uncle drove us up there and back and got a good deal on fireworks, himself. That also was potentially disasterous because we found out later that, somewhere between here and there, the oil fill cap had blown off and it was blowing all of the oil out of the engine and all over the underside of the hood. None of us had a clue.

Also, slight correction: it was July 1st, not the second. I remember now because it was the 3rd that our uncle drove us.

m0ssb3rg935: Well it's good that you guys did eventually get what you were going through all that for That oil fill cap blowing off sounds scary though. At least you didn't have to worry about it at the time because you didn't know.