People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~Maya Angelou.
Kindness is more than just doing good things for someone or being nice or helpful to them. It’s an attitude, and it’s about who you are and little or nothing to do with the recipient of the act of kindness. Like other fruits of the Spirit, that’s why you can’t fabricate this characteristic. It’s a gift and a fruit of your walk and your particular way of life.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, you can perform a specific deed that is an act of kindness, and that’s great, but continuing ongoing kindness is an inward action that continually thinks outwardly. If you are in the Spirit, you’ll recognize the opportunity for service even when you aren’t in the mood, don’t feel like it or walking through the adversity of your own.
True kindness opens doors, establishes relationships, heals wounds, softens hearts, brings sunshine into darkness, build bridges and that’s just what it does for you! Mark Twain says it this way: Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
So, where to start with your kindness train? Yes, it flourishes as you walk in the Spirit, but if you aren’t firmly established there just yet, it’s no reason not to join in. The term random act of kindness originated nearly 40 years ago, so let’s revive the effort! Here’s the challenge: Don’t look for someone who needs kindness. Simply take the first person who comes to your mind and perform your act of kindness in the next 24 hours. Secondly, you can carry out your next random act of kindness to a stranger you come in contact with today. Open a door, speak and smile, or, hold on now, let someone go ahead of you in the grocery line, compliment a stranger you run across (e.g. nice shoes or, in today’s lingo, nice mask, where did you get that?) Remember Maya Angelou’s comment at the outset: People may forget the specific kindness, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Take it out for a test drive today!
Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (Amplified)
