Our church recently held a major Easter outreach. My self-appointed job was taking a large bag of candy and greeting people as they made their way across the parking lot.
As a family with two young girls decked out in their finest Easter dresses approached me, I knelt down to talk with the girls about the event. I told them my job was pre-candy. I was giving everyone a piece of candy to hold them over until they entered the event. A fun job to have!
They thanked me and as they walked away I heard one of the girls say, “Daddy, why was he so nice?” (Nailed it!)
Her words made me smile, but also convicted me. Why don’t we take more opportunities to be nice?
I was challenged to:
Use Kind Words
My go to phrase when being checked out at Wal-Mart is to ask the cashier (using their name), “Are they being nice to you today?”
The normal response is, “Oh yes.” But one day the cashier teared up and responded, “No it’s been an awful day. Our system is giving us fits and I’ve cussed out several times. Everyone is impatient and angry, and I don’t want to be here anymore…”
I told her that I had been working hard on being nice and saying please and thank you. I also said that if I failed to be nice she had permission to punch me in the stupid. A slight smile cracked.
As I left I told her I appreciated her taking care of me and that I hoped she would have a much better afternoon. A genuine smile followed.
A genuine smile is always worth a few kind words. Take the time to collect a few!
Do Kind Deeds
Gentlemen, yes you should hold the door for that lady!
Always help your co-worker pick up the pile of papers they just dropped.
Why wouldn’t you help the elderly lady put her groceries in the trunk?
Yes, you should offer to help the young ladies alongside the road with a flat tire.
And finally, yes, you should take flowers to the hotel desk clerk you were a jerk to… (moment of transparency – sorry).
The point is, you never know when your act of kindness will have an incredible impact on the life you touch.
Communicate With Kindness
This is very similar to use kind words, my thought is more toward professional, business and social media communication.
I have a folder in my Inbox that I keep encouraging e-mails in. They were sent to me by missionaries, pastors, business associates, co-workers and my favorite wife.
Some of them are silly, some of them are encouraging, most of them are precious to me.
I look to these words of kindness and encouragement when I am discouraged, or when Satan seems to be riding in my shirt pocket for the day.
Often they remind me to be the encouragement in someone else’s life. I want my words saved in someone’s Inbox!
Kindness costs us so little, but it can mean so much.
The unseen value will be eternal in our lives.
Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Where can you make kindness happen today?