With so many responsibilities and pressures tugging at us, it\u2019s hard to think of much else than self.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, we\u2019re just human!\u201d Some might say. It must be instinctive, for even kids wanna horde. Of course there could be something said for adult toys too.<\/p>\n
We could learn a lot from some folks, and I\u2019ve learned a great deal from a certain gal. Mom, you\u2019ve taught me well. Giving isn\u2019t so much an act with you as it\u2019s a lifestyle that many could learn from. You live to give!<\/p>\n
I remember her asking me to print some self-adhesive labels that said the following: \u201cYou\u2019ve received a random act of kindness. If you enjoyed receiving this kind act, please pass it along. Together we can change the world … one person at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom would leave a package upon an unexpecting person\u2019s door, with the above label attached, then leave. The person receiving the blessing never knew who the giver was, but that was the intent. (Feel free to use the idea) I would say feelings of self-preservation like selfishness, indifference, callousness, and the general lack of concern for our fellow man aren\u2019t God\u2019s pleasure. I\u2019m sure He\u2019s appalled by those lowly ways.<\/p>\n
I challenge you to spread a few random acts of kindness around, then watch – they\u2019re contagious.<\/p>\n
Buy a coworker a can of pop for no reason. Buy a bag of groceries and put it on the doorstep of someone that\u2019s hurting. Ring the bell, then run. No one need know, except you and God.<\/p>\n
Tell someone they\u2019re beautiful inside. I don\u2019t know of many frosted hearts that can withstand the warmth of a kind word.<\/p>\n
There are hundreds of opportunities in any day to convey such charity.<\/p>\n
The following are just a few examples of goodness:
\nI was in the post office and saw a friend in line. I told him to go ahead of me. He responded with, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d I said yes. Then when he asked the clerk for a book of stamps I told her it was on me. Of course he was surprised and wanted to pay me. I would have none of that. His departing words were, \u201cGod bless ya!\u201d I later heard his wife had breast cancer.<\/p>\n
When the weather got bad last year I bought a snow-blower. When the first storm came I plowed our drive. When I finished I stared at our neighbors\u2019 drifts. Then I proceeded to plow their drives. I recall being cold and tired, but it warmed me to see my neighbor standing in his doorway, in stocking feet, to tip his coffee cup at me.<\/p>\n
Then there was the time when our kids caught Ron, the neighbor, filling up our empty fuel oil tank – because a few local churches heard of our plight and wanted to heat our home.<\/p>\n
For you see, selfish motives can\u2019t recognize all the opportune acts of kindness that abound all around.<\/p>\n
Greg Allen\u2019s column, Thinkin\u2019 Out Loud, is published bi-monthly. He\u2019s an author and the founder of Builder of the Spirit in Jamestown, Indiana, a non-profit organization aiding the poor. He can be reached at 765-676-5014 or www.builderofthespirit.org.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a9 Greg Allen ~ All Rights Reserved<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tired of winter, the cold? Feelin\u2019 all Scrooged inside? Well, here\u2019s a prescription for what ails ya – A Random Act of Kindness defined. With so many responsibilities and pressures tugging at us, it\u2019s hard to think of much else than self. \u201cOh, we\u2019re just human!\u201d Some might say. It must be instinctive, for even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-22"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1270"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1273,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1270\/revisions\/1273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alettlewis.com\/non-profit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}