Random (And Some Not So Random) Acts of Kindness
When you use or hear the words “kind” or “kindness”, what kind of picture is conjured up in your mind’s eye? Do you think of a kindly little old grandmother, giving freshly baked cookies to the neighbor children? Or perhaps a caring nurse or doctor, soothing the pain and fears of a patient and his family? You might visualize the good neighbor who brings a casserole to someone at a time of loss or illness.
We all have images that pop into our minds, even if they’re a little cliche or out of date. Kindness can be a difficult behavior to practice, and yet it can have a significant impact on both (or all) parties involved. It is likely to have a very different appearance than those I’ve suggested.
A couple of weeks ago, I stopped at the Hy-Vee in Marion to pick up a few things for the church kitchen. I had a bulky assortment of a can of coffee, a large container of lemonade mix, and a bag of ice, so was heading out the door with a small cart. Close to the door was a group of five or six young teen-age boys, laughing and talking and also heading toward the door. Before we even got on a collision course, one of them said, “Hey, guys,” and nodded toward me, and they stepped aside and made sure my cart and I got through the door. I smiled, said thanks, and then said I wouldn’t want to slow them down. They grinned and said no, they weren’t in any hurry, and they ambled off in the carefree way only the young have. What a day-brightener! Nobody made a big deal of anything, the guys were just being thoughtful enough to be sure I wasn’t jostled or crowded. But it surely is a feel-good experience to see youngsters in whom the value of consideration has already been absorbed.
We have opportunities to be kind in the simplest of everyday interactions, and they may seem almost insignificant, but these random acts have a way of becoming not so random, but an intentional, integral part of who we are, both as individuals and communities.
The message of kindness is spoken throughout the New Testament — Jesus giving us the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12); Paul writing to the Ephesians, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving . ..” and to the Galatians, “The fruits of the Spirit are . . . kindness”.
I came across this quote last week and loved this somewhat gentler side of Mark Twain: “Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.” How very true. Regardless of age, abilities, or status of any kind, we can always understand one another when we speak the language of kindness.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers