by Dionne Lovstad-Jones, VFM Digital Missioner
Recently I came across a Facebook post from friend who had benefitted from a random act of kindness
from a stranger that resulted in her breakfast—including coffee—at a local drive through. And, of
course, someone else felt obliged to comment on her post that the money spent on her could have been
better spent on charity. And I immediately thought, “Who am I to say that this charitable act wasn’t
well spent?” It was surely well-received! And, oh the joy that it brought my girlfriend on an otherwise
gray-mooded day! And, don’t you think it was also a joyful act of giving? Shame on the commenter
with the attempt to steal away either of their joy-filled moments!
What if that random act of kindness was truly intentional, not random at all? What if the giver saved up the money to provide for someone else’s breakfast? What if that giver forfeited a second morning run through the drive through each week just to bring joy to another? That kindness lives up to its true definition of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
In my own life, I try to be intentional about showing kindness. I leave a basket of crunchy snacks on the porch with a thank you note for all my deliverers of packages and mail (my letter carrier now counts on me for the afternoon Doritos!). For each holiday, I place bags of sweets and snacks along with a drink or two out on my trash can and recycle bins—along with a note of thanks—for the men who so reliably haul away our refuse. I’m thankful that most days they even wheel the bins back up the driveway. Our nearby friends joke with others to, ‘move into town so you can be in the ‘scone zone’’—the radius to which Saturday morning baked goods are delivered to doorsteps.
What about you? How are you intentional in showing kindness? How are you generous, considerate,
and friendly in meaningful, intentional ways?
Googling ‘National Kindness Day’ brought up a great result—WORLD Kindness Day—and we’re just in
time to celebrate on November 13 th ! On this day especially, how might you share kindness with
another? More importantly, how might you and I both turn this day into a regular practice? As Visual
Faith practitioners there are a multitude of resources available to us—to share kindness—and the love
of Jesus.
There are hash tags for World Kindness Day (#worldkindnessday #makekindnessthenorm). I’m not sure
how I feel about that; I guess because I think kindness is part of our DNA; how God wired us to be. I
want to show kindness, spread joy, and share Jesus because of whose I am, not because I need the
accolades, praise, or a pat on the back.
So, today, I encourage you to begin planning an intentional act of kindness—and you have my
permission to stay under the radar. As for me? I’m going to quietly hang something on a public bulletin board that can provide a smile; deliver a lunch hug treat to the confirmation class at my church’s school and leave prayers of Thanksgiving along with the holiday treats on the trash can. Showing kindness. Spreading Joy. Sharing Jesus. This is going to be fun.
Lunch Hugs Collection- https://www.visualfaithmin.org/visual-faith-resources?Collection=Lunch+Hugs