Kindness

A few months back, we challenged our Senior High Youth Group to preform Random Acts of Kindness.  They made "Love Bombs" or little positive notes of encouragement to hand to random people, to leave on cars, to drop in someone's bag, etc.  They paid it forward by pitching in a few dollars to leave at the register of a local café to brighten someone's day when they had their coffee paid for.  They brought in donations to fill a "Thank You" basket for the local fire department.  They served lunch to the homeless.  They have served.  They have prayed.  They have paid it forward.  They have preformed MANY R.A.K.  My purpose here is not to brag.  My purpose here is not to boast.  My purpose here is of sharing a simple message of HOPE.  The message is this:  KINDNESS.  Undeserved, unrestrained, unasked for, simple KINDNESS.

The world would be a much better place if people were only a little kinder.  Kindness can be simple.  It can be heart-warming.  It can be life-changing.  It can be a blessing.  Kindness is not something that requires great time or thought or planning or money.  Kindness can be something so simple that it seems trivial to you, unimportant or unnoticed.  But, it is also something that when we are granted by someone else, can make us open our eyes.  Kindness can open our heart to expanding and releasing the love of Jesus that is innately instilled in each of our hearts.  We can reach the depths of someone else's being by  being kind to a stranger or extending a helping hand.  Kindness grows and extends well beyond the stranger for whom you held the door. 

Imagine this:  You see a stranger headed for the exit door at the mall.  It is a mom with hand loaded with shopping bags and a tantruming toddler.  Now I think lots of people could look past this woman, not see her need at all.  Some people may see her child and think, "She has her hands full.  What a brat that kid is.  Control that thing!"  Some people may even pity her.  But, who would go out of their own way to run ahead and hold the door for her?  Who would catch the mother's eye, walk up and say, "I sympathize, it's okay.  I've been there.  It's okay.  We are all just doing our best, anyways, right?  Have a nice afternoon." 

Or how about this scenario:  The little old man, sitting by himself at the restaurant you are having lunch at.  Who would notice his WWII Veteran hat?  Who would notice him spinning his wedding ring round his finger while sitting alone?  Imagine you pay for his lunch without expecting a thank you in return or expecting to receive gratification or for someone else to "pay it back" to you.  Imagine you walk by and introduce yourself, only to find out that his wife who he met during the war has recently passed away after a marriage that lasted 50 years.  Imagine you ask him if he would like to join your family for lunch?

Sometimes we all feel invisible to the rest of the world.  We are all so caught up in these busy lives of ours, buying the next "best" thing, moving from one place to the next, never really seeing each other.  Never really taking notice of the hurt around us.  Never noticing the needs of people around us.  The rat-race that we have shaped our lives into these days are not conducive to happy, fulfilled, well adjusted people.  We all have our stuff.  We have our pain, we have our needs, we have desires and dreams.  What if we slowed down, just every now and then, even?  What if we sought the sick?  What if we sought the hurting?  What if we sought those who had needs that we just can't see?  We could see our neighbor, our cousin,  a friend, a stranger, ourselves, even.

Haven’t we all been in need at some point in our lives, anyways?  In need of a hug.  In need of a helping hand.  In need of a shoulder to cry on.  In need of a good night’s sleep.  In need of food on the table.  In need of heat in the cold.  In need of a Christmas gift for a child.  In need of help to make rent.  In need of a friend.  In need of water.  In need, in need, in need. 

We all have unfulfilled needs from time to time.  Some have needs greater than others.  But, we all have them.  Instead of criticizing someone for asking for help in their time of need, what if we out stretched our hand and gave what we could.  If all you have to offer is a kind word, positive thought or a prayer, sometimes that is enough.  If you were in need, and we all have been, wouldn’t you want a stranger or a loved one or a friend to reach out to you?  Yes?  No?  Instead, most of us are too consumed with pride to even ask for help.  We hide behind our masks of bravery and “suck it up” and pretend that everything is okay.  Then when we see someone asking for genuine help, we look at them as if they are weak, not good enough.  We assume they are taking advantage of the few kind-hearted people out there who are willing to help.  We assume that they are not working hard enough.  Perhaps some people are taking advantage.  But, imagine...What if they are TRULY in need of your help? 

Would you walk passed your own child seeking a warm place to sleep on the street?  Would you walk passed your own mother sitting on the curb in a parking lot, alone and crying?  Would you walk passed your own beloved grandmother who was grieving alone?  Would you walk passed your own Pastor who had just lost his daughter in war?  Would you walk passed your own friend who's child had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness?  Would you walk passed your own self if your hand was reaching out at the local food bank, asking for food to fill your belly?

I would hope the answer would be "No."  But in reality, we answer "Yes" to this question every day.  Each time we drive passed someone begging for money on the street.  Each time we withhold our precious pennies from the Santa pail at the mall.  Each time we keep our own cans on our own shelves in our own pantry.  Each time we don't pick up the phone to call and check in with the people we know are going through a loss or a divorce.  Every time that we don't hug our child because we think that they are just "over reacting."  Each time we don't hold the door for the people behind us.

Kindness is something that we can extend just by saying hello.  Let's backtrack to the scenario where the mom is trying to leave the mall with her bags and screaming toddler.  Now, imagine that you don't just hold the door for her.  Imagine that once you do that for her, she remember that she is not alone.  Imagine that now when she goes home, she realizes that because she is not alone, she is stronger than her addiction and she doesn't pick up a bottle.  Imagine, instead of that drink that she then sits on the floor with that toddler of hers and they share an afternoon of reading and snuggles.  Instead of hours of screaming, back and forth, that they are now settled in peace with each other, soothing the hurts of one another. 

But, also imagine this.  When you held the door for her, another random stranger saw your simple, random act of kindness.  Then, said stranger decided to pay it forward because of YOUR act.  The stranger then leaves the mall, spots a soldier at dinner and anonymously pays for his dinner.  Then said soldier, pays it forward.  And that person pays it forward.  And them and them.  It spreads like wildfire.  Kindness is consuming the planet!  And soon the entire world is bound up in streams of flowing grace and kindness.  And then maybe there is no more war.  And maybe no one goes to bed hungry.  And no one is cold.  And no one feels alone.  Suddenly, these things don't seem so unattainable to me.  By opening my eyes to kindness, by holding out my hand, by offering my kind word, by saying a prayer, by dropping my change into the donation bucket, I am spreading my kindness like wildfire, one little spark at a time.  I am blessing others.  I am fanning the flame.  I am blessing others and they are blessing others.  And it is growing, flames of kindness are licking at the heels of others, leaping up to their hearts.  And they are blessing others. 

I can be a catalyst for kindness and love.  And sure, I may never bring on world peace by buying someone else's coffee.  But, hey.  Maybe I can help breed a kind of peace and kindness in my little corner of the world that wasn't there before.

So, in this Christmas season, I challenge you.  I challenge you to seek the hurting, seek the lost, seek the needy.  We are ALL hurting and lost and needy.  (This shouldn’t be too hard!!!)  We just don’t like to admit it!  Find one person that you can help.  Whether they ask for it or not, help someone.  Say a prayer for a friend that you know if going through a hard time.  Send a tray of cookies to a struggling single mom.  Help the old woman in the parking lot load her groceries in her car and return her cart.  Help the little boy lost in the store find his mama.  Throw your pocket change into the Santa pail.  Forgo your morning Starbucks and donate that money to a cause you love.  Pay it forward, leave an extra dollar or two at the register for the next person buying their donut.  Send your positive thoughts to victims of mass tragedies.  Thank a soldier for their service.  Ask an older veteran how they are doing.  Drop by to visit your neighbor, recently widowed by her life -long husband.  Tell the cashier at Wal-Mart thank you.  Hug your kid who got her feelings hurt on the bus.  Tell your Pastor that he gave a great sermon. 

Our words are more harmful than beneficial today.  Social media brings out the worst in most people.  Our time is seen better spent on consumerism than genuine relationships.  If we could just get over our pride, swallow our fear of the uncomfortable, and open up our hearts without the fear of rejection or judgement, we might just find that there are still FAR more good people in this world than we realize.  We need only to ask, “What is it that I can do to help you?”  After all, one day, you may need to ask, “Can you help me?”