When Love Takes Flight

I don’t watch or read much of the news. It’s usually just a downer.

But there’s an old newspaper I would have loved to pick up at a Berlin newsstand, 3 years after WWII. Written in German, yet worth reading in any language.

I imagine the newspaper read something like this…

BERLIN, JULY 1948

American Pilot Brings Sweet Surprises to Berlin’s Children

As Allied aircraft continue delivering essential supplies to blockaded West Berlin, an American pilot has found an unusual way to lift the spirits of the city’s youngest residents.

It began at Tempelhof Airport, where First Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen met a group of children gathered near the barbed-wire fence to watch the planes. After talking with them, he was touched by their gratitude and their remarkable attitude toward hardship. Before leaving, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two sticks of Wrigley’s spearmint gum. He broke them into smaller pieces and passed them through the fence. The children who received a piece shared it with others, while some of the children who received none were happy just to hold a piece of the wrapper and breathe in its lingering minty scent.

Moved by their response, Halvorsen made a promise to return with more. He kept his word. The very next day, he attached candy (chocolate bars and gum) to small parachutes made from handkerchiefs and dropped them from his aircraft as he approached the airport. He gently rocked the wings of his plane to let the children know he was coming, as the chocolate bars and gum gracefully fell from the sky on little parachutes.

What began as a small, personal gesture soon grew into something much larger. Other crews joined the effort, and it became known as “Operation Little Vittles” (meaning little bits of food), delivering candy parachutes to children all over Berlin. But the parachutes delivered much more than candy. They delivered hope.

Yes, I’d love for this story to give you warm fuzzies. How could it not?

The children of West Berlin were grateful and resilient, despite having endured the hardships of World War II. Many were severely malnourished, their clothes tattered and inadequate for bitter winters, and many lived in unheated homes. They lived among the smoke and rubble, with the sound of airplanes easily bringing back memories of bombings and the fear of it all starting again. That's a lot for any adult to carry, much less a child. And they had gone years without the simple pleasures of fruit, candy, gum, or chocolate (years without chocolate? I'd consider that alone a crisis).

Then we have a simple farm boy from Utah, raised in a church that emphasized compassion and service—a young man who set aside his own agenda long enough to stop, speak, and truly listen to a group of blockaded children. Despite all they had endured, he discovered gratitude, kindness, and a quiet resilience. With no grand plan or elaborate gesture, he simply gave what he had: two sticks of gum.

These two sticks of gum grew into a massive, officially sanctioned military and civilian effort known as Operation Little Vittles. Together, military and civilian crews dropped more than 23 tons of candy attached to approximately 250,000 tiny parachutes for the children of West Berlin.

Newspapers around the world carried the good news of how one compassionate yet playful airman's flight became a sweet success, earning him the nickname “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” also known as “Berlin Candy Bomber.”

As heartwarming as this story is, my hope and my prayer are that this stirs something deeper within us than distant admiration.

For we, too, are given opportunities each day to make a difference in someone's life. So our daily prayer becomes, “God, open our eyes and help us make a difference.” Because the Creator of all understands our limits, and He isn't asking us to solve a worldwide crisis. He's merely first asking us to notice someone in need.

Driven By Love

One small act of kindness can result in something far greater than we could have ever imagined. Our God is a God of Abundance, and He multiplies the love we place in His hands.

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

2 Corinthians 9:10

There’s a simple quote that I heard several years ago that often comes to mind. One that indeed reflects the life and the love of Jesus.

“If you stop to be kind, you must swerve often from your path.” - Mary Webb

A wonderful biblical example of this is the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10.

The Good Samaritan didn't pass by, nor did he sit around contemplating a grand strategy. He stopped. He poured his own oil and wine onto the battered man's wounds and carried him to safety on his own animal. He paid for the man's stay at an inn out of his own pocket, asking for nothing in return. It was a straightforward, immediate act of mercy, one that should remind us that we must respond when we notice the need of another.

Compassion is the heartbeat that runs throughout Scripture. Biblical compassion is far more than distant or polite pity. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word rachum, meaning compassionate or merciful, is related to rechem, the word for a mother's womb. There is something tender and profound in that picture. The compassion of God is not detached. It is deeply personal, protective, and nurturing.

In the New Testament, the Greek word splagchnizomai (say that fives times fast), is used when Jesus is described as moved with compassion. The word carries the idea of being moved in the deepest part of one's being. Compassion, then, is not merely to notice. It drives us to do something.

When we consider how deeply and compassionately God has loved us, offering us freedom, abundance, forgiveness, and a true north for our lives, we should be deeply grateful.

And with a heart rich with gratitude, we pray, “Who, Lord, are You asking me to show compassion to today?”

We love because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

The love of Christ compels us.

2 Corinthians 5:14

When we are compelled, taking on the heart of Christ, love can’t help but take flight.

It’s a love that lifts our homes, a love that reaches someone from a distance, and a love that makes a difference, including a difference in us.

Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen was indeed compelled. He was compelled to reach through a fence and ultimately change the world for a group of children. Even if it doesn't always seem that way, changing the world with just one act of kindness is a wonderful place to start. We act in faith, realizing that we may never know how far our kindness might go. But the love that Jesus so freely lavishes upon us should become our daily driving force. Not simply a love we receive, but a love that moves us to notice, to care, and to act…

That might mean setting aside our calendars, our iPhones, iPads, and “I still need tos” (the ever-growing to-do list), long enough to notice another person. And when we do, responding with love, offering a small act of kindness that God can use in ways we may never fully see.

We show this kind of deep love when we move beyond making a meal for a new mom and continue showing up with additional meals and genuine encouragement as she adjusts to motherhood and an additional child. We do this through hospitality, not just for a fun or polished get-together, but also for a frantic Tuesday evening when the house is a mess and a friend in need could use some companionship. And we do this in the church when we step beyond our comfortable circles and take a genuine interest in someone new.

And as moms and wives, we can practice this right in our own homes. We can step away from the cleaning and cross into our children's world, sitting down to enjoy their favorite show or a silly game. We can pause long enough to express genuine gratitude to our husbands for the ways they care for and provide for our families. We must make room for connection because the heart of the person in front of us sometimes must matter more than the task at hand.

Halvorsen’s Christian values stayed with him, even as he soared through the clouds. He went on to live to the age of 101. I can’t help but wonder how many times, over the years, a Hershey’s bar or a piece of gum brought him a smile…or a fond memory. His legacy of kindness and compassion continues to inspire others, as reflected in words like these.

“Those two sticks of gum changed my life. There is no greater reward than helping those in need.”

“Three things in life are really important: attitude, gratitude, and service before self is the way for happiness.” — Gail Halvorsen

For it goes beyond the wiggle of an airplane's wings, the waves of a boat, the whistle of a train, or the honk of a car horn. The mode of transportation isn’t what matters; it’s always the heart behind the one driving

My prayer is that this story would not only inspire us but also challenge us to reach across the fence and allow God to multiply our kindness. May we become more aware, more compassionate, and then act in love—bravely, boldly, and beautifully—offering our own version of a sweet surprise, for the glory of God!

3-2-1

3 Scripture Verses, 2 Quotes,

and 1 Question to Consider

 

3 Scripture Verses:

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

Proverbs 3:27

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:10

Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:4

2 Quotes:

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.”

- Jane Goodall

1 Question to Consider:

“Who will you show compassion to today?”