I dismount from my bike gingerly so as not to drop the carton I’m cradling with knees under the handlebars. I stand for a moment just staring at the gift. To the casual onlooker it would appear to be a box of instant noodles. But in reality, it is a box of selfless kindness.

Just an hour earlier, I had received a phone call from our friend, Cong. He runs the neighborhood street-corner store. He opens in the early hours and doesn’t close till midnight. He actually has a makeshift bed tucked away in a dingy loft at the back of his store so he can catch up on some sleep when things are slow, which isn’t often. Elisha Joy once asked him why he works so much. Cong said he needed to if he wanted to make enough money to take care of his family. Every so often when I head to the market, Cong hails me to join him for a cup of tea. I purposely have opted not to sign up for a water service so that I can purchase my water from his store.

I was surprised when Cong called me so late at night. I wondered if there was some kind of emergency. Without much explanation, he told me to come out to his store. I began to wonder if he was in need of money and was mentally rehearsing how I might politely decline if I needed to.

I parked my bike, and Cong offered me tea. I declined since it was so late. He then began to tell me that he had seen an English teacher from the UK who posted on social media, sharing how he was struggling in unemployment with the COVID-19 shutdown. Cong said it made him think of me, and he handed me a case of instant noodles. “I know you are far from home. And I know that many English teachers are struggling to find work because of the virus. I thought you could use some help,” Cong said as he sipped his tea.

My guarded skepticism melted into humble gratitude. The gesture of solidarity was especially touching coming from Cong. Throughout the country, the shutdown was taking its toll on everyone, in particular the mom-and-pop shops dependent on foot traffic. I knew his business was a lot slower. But since in his eyes I was out in the country without a support network, and all English schools were hurting, he felt a burden to help me.

As we chatted, he mentioned he had even reduced the rent for some of his tenants.

“Why?” I asked. “What compels you to do those things?”

“To help lift up society,” he said. Cong felt a personal responsibility and privilege to have the ability to lift up others. It made me realize how different my thinking can be, and how I can at times fall into the trap of self-preservation. I hope it also becomes more natural for me to desire to lift up society. We all have something that can help someone else who might be having a harder time than we are. We all can do something to help lift each other up. It could be our time, lending a hand up, or even giving some grace. It could even be a case of instant noodles.

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