Kindness is on my mind lately. I see what is happening in the world as a whole, and in the world around me, and sometimes wonder when did we quit being kind to each other? I am far from perfect, but I do strive to treat others as I would wish to be treated. It often feels like we have collectively forgotten the “golden rule”.
When I was growing up, society was much more personally connected than we are now. There was one phone (and one bathroom) in the house that we all shared. I played with the neighborhood kids after school and on weekends. We were more or less forced into sharing and learning how to get along.
The world is much different now. I live in a neighborhood where there are kids, but they don’t play outside. Many kids are more interested in what is playing on their phone than actually interacting with people. In a ‘me’ centered world, we can forget about others.
An act of kindness is a way to connect (or reconnect) with others, whether they are in our circle or not. I was on a social media platform this morning and got a reminder about how a written note of appreciation could change someone’s day. The irony is that I received such a note just this morning from a student. God is super funny sometimes.
I have done nothing special for the student, but my showing up and teaching her was important enough to her for her to write me a note. It’s actually not the first such note I have received from this sweet soul this school year. Oddly enough just doing the things we were planning on doing anyway, can be special to someone else.
Are you ever surprised by other’s kindness? We should not be. It should be something that is a regular occurrence, not a shocker. When I am the recipient of the kind act, I am usually surprised, then very grateful. It reminds me that I too need to keep the kindness going.
We are called to live in community- that community is found all around us. It could be our family, friends, workplace, or strangers, there is always an opportunity to be kind to someone else. If writing a note is not your thing, leave a voice message, take them for coffee, go for a walk. The question to ponder this week is the title of the blog plus a twist. How are you building the kingdom today?
