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Random? Acts of Kindness



Whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for me.
Matthew 25:40


In 2002 my life lost all sense of direction and control. I started the year married. I ended it a single mom to two young daughters. 


I longed for security. I craved boundaries. I was distant from God so I drew them myself in the form of a little black binder.


I organized my scattered life into notebook. There held my groceries lists, my credit cards, cash, my agenda, my travel necessities and even stamps and note cards. I could literally live weeks on end with access to nothing but my little black rectangular prism of safety.


As a single mom, weekends encompasses the sum total of quality time I had to offer my kids. One Saturday morning we headed out for an "adventure" - translation: A trip to the bank to get the month's cash and then to Walmart.


I was uber prepared. My notebook contained my to do list, my household needs, my groceries and upcoming school projects. In less than an hour I had procured everything necessary to keep my life running as smooth and easy as possible.


I smiled as I pulled out of the parking lot, proud of the strong, independent woman I'd become. My grin vaporized into terror when I realized I'd left my "life" on the back bumper of my car. A quick stop at a gas station confirmed my suspicion, my binder was lost.


Waves of fear and nausea passed through me. I had no one in Jacksonville. My whole system of fortifying myself to face life as a single mom had vanished. I called out to the only Source of hope I knew. Though we weren't exactly on speaking terms, I asked God for help.


Within an hour my phone rang. A friendly voice informed me he'd found my binder and wanted to return it. I'd watched enough Lifetime movies to know to arrange to meet the creep in public. A nearby grocery store was appointed.


Thirty minutes later a man with kind eyes and a woman who perpetually wore a smile drove up to my car. They told me how thankful they were to make contact with me. They were Christians and so grateful to be able to return my property to me.


I smiled, sincerely thanked them and secretly expected to find my file considerably lightened of cash. Every penny was inside.


The term random acts of kindness has long been used to describe the actions of a couple like this. I'm a huge fan of them myself. I enjoy paying for the coffee of the car behind me, stopping to help a mom with an infant or gathering the newspaper for a friend. 


But are a Christ-follower's kindnesses truly random?


If you've ever stopped to help a stranger, you felt the nudge in your heart. What even made you notice the person? Didn't God have to first illuminate your eyes? 


What if we stopped thinking of kindness as random and began to tune into the tug of God? Random would become intentional. Kindness would become a lifestyle. Random acts of kindness would transform into intentional living.


What is one thing you can do dial your heart to God's today as an intentional giver of kindness?

24 comments:

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    1. Thank you, Victoria. So thankful for your visit here!

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  2. That's how I want to live, my friend. Intentionally living, walking out willing every nudge of God.

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    1. Jen, that is just beautiful. Oh how I want to walk with you!

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  3. Wow! I love hearing stories like that! God is so good!

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    1. Isn't He? It's amazing how He doesn't let my bad attitude or my lack of intimacy keep Him from working. :)

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  4. Great point! Kindness is the spiritual fruit that should be growing on our tree:) It is sad that we classify it as "random acts," when it should be second nature, engrained in our DNA...to help those in need. Great story!!

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    1. Thanks, Kelli. Kindness is in our DNA...we are His children. :)

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  5. What a beautiful story - God really does weave every moment together for His glory and for our good. Thanks for sharing this encouragement, as well as reminder that we can be His hands through these "random" acts of kindness!
    Blessings,
    Ann

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    1. Oh yes, Dr. Ann, He is the Master Weaver. We are so secure in His hands.

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  6. Shannon, I know that if we keep our spirits open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will guide and lead us to places and people we would have never found on our own. I had an experience like this last week. My son was with me and it taught him a powerful lesson that I listened to the prompting of the Lord and we ended up being able to bless a complete stranger. This is an awesome post!
    Blessings,
    ~Erin

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    1. Oh Erin, I so love that you live your faith out in front of your kids like that. What an impact seeing you moved by compassion will make on his life and character! Beautiful!

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  7. "Didn't God have to first illuminate your eye"...what a wonderful line that I'll never forget especially when I see acts of kindness!

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    1. Thanks. All our best ideas really come from Him, don't you think? :)

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  8. I love this Shannon! I feel this tug from God ALL THE TIME! And most of the time I listen to it. The few times I haven't, I have just felt icky. For example, there is a homeless guy that hangs out by my local gas station. I asked the attendant what he likes to eat and the attendant basically talked me out of buying him lunch. I felt horrible and the next time I see him, I will certainly be getting him a sandwich and some gatorade. xoxo

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    1. Andrea, love how you've committed your heart to listening to Him not others. :)

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  9. Shannon... you left me in tears! What a blessing to have had a Christian couple find your Life book. ... Well if I read your post correctly... God has been tugging at my heart a lot lately. Big Smile.

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    1. It was an amazing act of kindness! So thankful!

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  10. It's amazing how such little things in life can be a mountain of gratitude for another. Yet many of us live in fear that 'why bother to do anything nice for someone' - many think it has to be something big but just holding the door for someone can be huge. What a wonderful post :)

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    1. You are so right - a smile, picking up a dropped item, holding a door - these can be incredible acts of kindness to a stranger.

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  11. Oh shannon, you always say it so eloquently! And seriously you are God's angel sent personally for me! I have been thinking a lot on this subject this last week. And it was even discussed in our church on Sunday! If we live our lives in accordance to God's will; we'll find our selves prompted often to help others; and it's not random one bit!

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    1. Isn't that an amazing thought? We can be on assignment for God every day carrying out his "Missions Possible". Amazing!

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