Prank It Forward? (click to comment)

Have you ever played a good clean harmless prank? My mother was the first one I knew to play pranks that kept us on our toes. One night she short-sheeted my bed. This is a staple for any self-respecting prankster. The victim’s bed is made with the bottom sheet folded upwards to serve as the top sheet as well. When I crawled into bed, my entire world was thrown into confusion. I couldn’t get in. My legs wouldn’t make it past the three feet mark and I was forced to pull the bed apart and remake it myself. “Dad! I hollered. But it was Mom.

Other marvelous pranks included the spreading of a layer of cream cheese over the target’s deodorant. Putting powdered Kool-Aid or a bouillon cube inside a shower head. Filling a hair-dryer with baby powder. Replacing Oreo filling with toothpaste. O tying a rubber band around the sprayer at the kitchen sink just before your sister does the dishes. And, though I never tried it myself, gluing all twelve eggs into the carton.

Greg Benson of Glendale, California is an experienced prankster, but he decided to use his pranking prowess for good. One day, Greg and his team of fellow pranksters descended on the Ascencia Homeless Shelter and turned it into a five-star restaurant. When the usual patrons entered the shelter, they were shocked to find live classical music, a custom-made menu and waiters in black ties serving filet mignon and desserts. To top it all off, Benson and his team donated $5,000 to the shelter. I love Greg’s brand of “prank.” Who wouldn’t want a second helping of it? Nothing speaks louder than a kind word; nothing is stronger than a helping hand.

Simple acts of kindness can melt hearts, move mountains, and change minds. They can transform lousy days into bright ones, and leave lasting memory marks. Kind words to a harried parent can make their week. Kind thoughts in a short note have been known to hang on a fridge for years. When my new friend Keith found out I was a Christian he admitted that his best experiences weren’t with followers of Jesus. But they should be, don’t you think? We follow One who, in the ultimate act of kindness, died for our sins.

It’s time we follow His example and reach out in love. We can start with the one who short-sheeted our bed.