"As it is written, He (the benevolent person) scatters abroad; He gives to the
poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on
and endure forever!" - 2 Corinthians 9:9 (AMP)
It was a blazing hot day. As my friend drove along, she noticed the workers on
the road construction site wiping beads of sweat from their foreheads and
wearing t-shirts drenched with perspiration. Her heart was burdened as she
watched them struggle against the hot sun to complete their tasks.
Upon entering her home, she flung open the refrigerator door, gripped the
plastic handle on the six-pack of soda, and hurried back to the work site. When
she stopped the car and carried these cold drinks to the workers, their sweaty,
tan faces beamed with relief that someone was kind enough to bring them a cool
refreshing drink. As she drove away from the work site, she was overcome by the
good feeling that she had helped someone in need.
I love to think of the many ways there are to impart a kind gesture. We all need
them. They help to nurture our souls when they need refreshment, and keep us
going forward. The Bible tells us that God will always remember our acts of
kindness and love. However, fear that we are being taken advantage of can keep
us from putting forth acts of kindness. That's why they must be done with the
heart attitude to bless another.
Some of the ways we can show random acts of kindness are by giving a tip or
gratuity to the person that carries out our groceries, or the waitress serving
our table. Allowing someone to go ahead of us in line, or opening the door for
another person, is a way of making someone more important than ourselves.
Planting flowers outside our home can bring a smile to the face of passers-by
and a delight to our heart.
Giving a smile to another, being gentle spirited with the cashier who messed up
our bill, or giving an unexpected gift to a friend or co-worker is also a
benevolent act.
With the use of our imagination and the leading of the Holy Spirit, the
opportunities to be kind to someone are endless. Think what might happen if
whenever we had the chance, we stopped along life's path to sow some seeds of
kindness.
(c) 2004 Annettee Budzban
ahrtwrites2u@aol.com
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