“Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.” – Matthew 6:3
Almost immediately after reading Allen Levi’s best-seller Theo of Golden I found myself reading it a second time, a first for me I think to ever re-read a novel I had just finished reading, perhaps because it is one of the most uplifting stories I have read in years. You may have read it as well. If not, I highly recommend it, it will lift your spirits.
So not to spoil the story for those who have not read it, this is how the book cover summarizes it: “Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden [a fictitious town in Georgia and setting of the story] done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their ‘rightful owners.’ With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.”
What inspired me about it – thus my reason for reading it again – is how Theo, the main character, was able to draw out the best in people through his simple acts of kindness, encouragement, and generosity. Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love,” which is exactly how Theo operated.
In a conversation with a newspaper reporter about midway through the book Theo describes his mission and purpose by quoting from William Wordsworth. “He once wrote that the best portion of a good person’s life is ‘the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.’. . . I think it has never been our nature to think that way,” Theo explains, “but especially now, we like ‘big’ and ‘viral’ and all that. But I think Mr. Wordsworth was right.”
Jesus would concur, “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret,” He said. That was also Theo’s style, the result being that with each encounter “a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.” Yet, what really intrigued me about Theo of Golden is that Theo did not do anything we are not all capable of doing, in one way or another. Besides being one of the most uplifting books I’ve read in years, I think it was that inspiration that drew me into reading it again.