Yearly Archives: 2014

Not-so-random Acts of Kindness

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Yesterday we met Melanie, who had decided to establish a new birthday tradition for herself. She would use her day of celebration to complete 38 not-so-random acts of kindness, one for each candle on her birthday cake. After having a good time meeting her goal on her 38th birthday, Melanie let us all know, in a second email, how it went:

Hi, again!

 Just had to update you on what was a pretty terrific day. The best part was hearing from all of you who were in cahoots with me, looking for a way to bless someone in your path. Here’s some of what we were busy with this week:

  • Kindness.Made copies for someone and delivered them
  • Took time to visit an elderly man in poor health
  • Helped someone figure out their new printer
  • Wrote a letter to an old friend
  • Called up a home-bound friend for a cheerful visit
  • Let someone go first in the car line at school
  • Slowed down and asked questions about things people are interested in
  • Smiled more and frowned less
  • Donated blood
  • Secretly paid for ice cream for the next family in line
  • Swept snow off cars in the parking lot
  • Left a note, gift, and balloon by the door of someone who shares my birthday
  • Took coffee to several school employees
  • Donated to places like the Salvation Army
  • Set a floral arrangement in the lobby at school with a note
  • Wrote encouraging notes to the kids’ teachers and principal
  • Left a note for the church staff thanking them and letting them know they’re prayed for
  • Left encouraging notes for library and maintenance staff at church
  • Left helium balloons for the kids of the moms in the Bible study at church
  • Shared floral arrangements with various friends
  • Delivered helium balloons to some nearby friends
  • Left Cracker Jack boxes for mailman and neighbors
  • Paid for another person’s coffee
  • Gave away several gift cards
  • Brought dinner to a friend
  • Paid extra attention to my tone of voice and patience with my family
  • Brought cookies and a thank-you to firefighters
  • Took coffee to my in-laws

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

KindnessJust reading through this partial list of kindnesses turned out to be an act of kindness to me. It brought a special heart-glow and taught me a thing or two about simple, doable blessings all of us can pass along.

Tomorrow we’ll hear from Melanie once more as she shares how she hopes to refine her birthday project so that 39 not-so-random acts of kindness can be delivered effectively on her second annual attempt to let the light of Christ shine through.

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” (James 1:22)

Random Acts of Kindness

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Kindness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit listed in Scripture. (Galatians 5:22) In other words, if we believe in Jesus, kindness ought to be pouring out of us like crazy: thoughtfulness of others, compassion toward the needy, sympathy for the grieving, consideration of another’s point of view, etc.

In recent years myriad organizations have sprung up for the sole purpose of performing “random acts of kindness” for no other reason than just to be nice. There’s even a foundation by that name (Random Acts of Kindness International), a non-profit “founded upon the powerful belief in kindness, and dedicated to providing resources and tools that encourage acts of kindness.”

Of course we don’t need the resources of a foundation to act kindly, and a while ago I received an interesting email from my friend Melanie, who’s made a serious commitment to being kind. She’s decided that every year on her birthday she’s going to devote the entire day to random acts of kindness, doing it in the name of Jesus. Here’s what she wrote:

Hello, Dear Ones! 

Acting kindToday, to mark my 38th trip around the sun, I’m going to be out and about doing (Intentional) Random Acts of Kindness, hoping to bring some sunshine into the lives of others in the community who are special or helpful or just look like they need a smile.

Would you do me the honor of joining me today and blessing someone, a friend or stranger, with an encouraging word, a smile, or some other kindness?

These are things we all try to do anyway, but today I’m going to see if I can do at least 38, and it’ll be fun to know that you’re looking for a way to spread a little love today, too. I’m starting out this morning by putting the kids’ clothes in the dryer so they are nice and warm when they put them on.

This isn’t about a pat on the back but rather: “Let your light so shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)   

We are blessed to be a blessing!

Acts of KindnessSo Melanie determined that on her 38th birthday she would do 38 deliberate, not-really-random acts of kindness, some face-to-face, some in secret, making a commitment to add one more with each new birthday.

Then she ended her email by inviting her friend-list to reply back with ways they thought of to be kind, so the group could swap ideas and inspire each other.

Tomorrow we’ll get to see what a happy birthday she had!

“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I’m praising God that our 11th grandchild may arrive in the next few days!
  2. Please pray about feeding-tube-frustration. Today’s appointment with the specialist resulted only in being turned over to an appointment with a surgeon on Thursday.

Bit by Bit

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Most of us think of God as lofty, mysterious, and grand. He’s definitely all of that but is also detail-oriented and surprisingly practical. I’ve often witnessed this and saw it again today.

Mark ZuckerbergWhile waiting in my dentist’s office this morning, I sifted through a stack of reading material and settled on this week’s TIME magazine. The cover story was about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. He’s a fascinating guy for several reasons: (1) he’s only 30; (2) he’s brainy; (3) he’s a tech-guy but loves people; (4) and he hasn’t let mega-money change him.

As I read the article, I was searching for personal information, like the seed-reason why he’s been so successful. Then I read, “Zuckerberg is a great one for breaking down messy, wonky problems into manageable chunks.” That sounds like wisdom, and I filed it for later.

Before I finished the article, the dental hygienist was calling my name. As she clipped on my paper bib I asked her about the possibility of whitening my teeth, so while she cleaned, she gave me a short course in bleaching. But the subject changed when she found several “trouble-spots” and told me that the dentist, Dr. Matt, better take a look. After he did, I realized how our practical God had prepared me (by way of Mark Zuckerberg’s statement) for what I was about to hear.

Happy toothIt turns out I’m going to need some major mouth work: cavities (plural), bridges (plural), and implants (plural). “Oh dear,” I said to Dr. Matt. “This sounds like a major ordeal involving lots of time and big buckaroos.”

“Oh it won’t be so bad,” he said. “Just make one appointment on your way out, and we’ll take it in small steps.”

That sounded an awful lot like a “messy, wonky problem tackled in small chunks.”

This kind of thinking isn’t original with Dr. Matt, though, or even Mark Zuckerberg, since God promoted it first in the Bible. He wants us to conquer our sins one at a time, study Scripture one verse at a time, and communicate with him one prayer at a time. And over the long haul, our lives will be utterly revolutionized.

After Dr. Matt left and the hygienist was lowering the dental chair I said, “And to think I’d been worried about bleaching my teeth.”

She laughed and said, “I guess it’s silly to paint the porch when the house is on fire.”

But if Mark Zuckerberg had been standing there he would have said, “Don’t worry. Just put out the fire one water-bucket at a time.”

“My God will supply every need of yours.” (Philippians 4:19)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Continue to pray for wisdom about the feeding tube, since the phone consultation today wasn’t good enough to make any decisions. Pray for wise conclusions at tomorrow’s appointment.