I recently had an experience that opened my eyes to the power of prayer and a simple act of kindness. I want to share it to show others that something so small can turn into something so large.

Just last Saturday, I was visiting my family and was staying at my grandparent’s house for the weekend. Five of us decided to go to Outback Steakhouse for a late lunch and early dinner. As we arrived at the restaurant, it was empty since we were there at an off time. We sat down at the table and looked over the menus. My grandparents have a tradition of asking the waiter/waitress what we can pray for them. As we asked our waitress, she immediately choked up. She was blown away by this simple question. I think the gesture that someone, strangers, cared enough about her, was overwhelming. She asked for direction in her life. Without knowing any more details, my family prayed for her. Coming back a few minutes later to take our order, our waitress told us that she had gone into the kitchen to tell her supervisor what had just occurred. She began crying.

When she was taking our order, we got into the discussion of church. She had said that her family moved to the area a few years ago and they were actually looking for a new church nearby. My grandparents told her about their church and gave her the information for the service the next morning. As this was all happening, you could see the injured soul within her face. We could tell that this girl was lost but wanted to be found. Our simple question of “What can we pray for you?” opened up a window of thankfulness. My uncle had asked her the next question: “Are you broken?” She responded with a yes.

This whole situation was already inspiring enough. What occurred the next day blew me away.

My grandparents arrived at church before the rest of us the next day. As my uncle, mom and I walked in to sit next to them, we saw the waitress sitting next to my grandmother. I couldn’t believe that she actually showed up to church that morning. After the service was over, we invited her out to lunch with us and a few others. Telling people how we knew her was crazy. Introducing her as “our waitress at Outback yesterday” and then having her with us that afternoon was insane. Going from complete strangers to now close friends in less than 24 hours was shocking.

This is what prayer can do. It can move mountains and change lives. For some people, the simple thought that someone else is thinking about them is comforting. To think that one little question led to everything that occurred afterwards shows the amazing power of prayer and human compassion. For those of you who aren’t religious, this can work the same way for an act of kindness.

This experience showed me that no matter how big or small your act of kindness is, it can truly change lives. Don’t ever be afraid to go out of your way to show others that you care about them. You never know how much they need it in that moment.