The Miracle of Kindness

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love
There is so much more that followers of Jesus can do. Every day is packed with opportunities. Every person we meet needs a word, a touch, a smile—a lift. Care and Kindness is the love of God, the Spirit of Jesus, flowing through us. There are friends to call, neighbors to visit,
sick to write to, and injured to pray for.
The Miracle of Kindness is more than a book. It is a zealous prayer to ignite people with a passion to brighten the world. It is so needed. It is so good. It is so possible.
Miracles of Kindness: they are happening all around you. If you look for them, you will see them— to your left or right, or even right in front of you.
Opening the cracker wrapping
Jan Judd Petereit was visiting her Centenarian Mother at the nursing home. They were having lunch together when Jan noticed at an adjacent table another elderly resident fumbling futilely with a cellophane soda cracker package. So Jan got up from her chair, went over and opened it for the lady.
Says Jan, “For the rest of my visit, the lady kept waving at me with a big smile on her face, like I’d given her a major prize.”
Sometimes miracles of kindness are the result of a conscious act by a sensitive person. Kathleen from Mesa, AZ reports this story:
Merely reaching out
While sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, I noticed a woman across from me was crying. When the chair beside her became empty, I sat beside her, gave her some tissues, and said, “Seeing your tears makes my heart ache for you. I don’t know what the trouble is, but I want you to know I care.”
Through her tears, this woman told me she was in a great deal of pain from an ear infection. I told her how sorry I was that she felt so badly, that it was a good thing she had come to the doctor, and that I hoped she would soon feel better.
And there are times when the intention is good, but mistakes are still made. This little story has a humorous twist.
Oops
The moving truck loaded with furniture was parked in front of our Southern California home. My husband and I were sweeping out our garage, with the door open, when a woman from across the street approached with an apple pie.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said with a smile. “I baked it myself and I want you to have it.”
“Really, we can’t,” my husband replied.
“Of course you can,” she ran on. “When I moved in two years ago, no one welcomed me, and I want you to feel at home.” She thrust the pie into my husband’s hands.
“Uh, well, you see,” he stumbled, with an embarrassed laugh, “we’ve been here four years and we’re moving out.” The woman stared at him, dumbfounded, her mouth open. “Well,” she said, shrugging her shoulders with an air of resignation, “enjoy it anyway!”
My husband and I laughed heartily, enjoyed the pie, and resolved in the future to be better neighbors.
The point of our Christian faith is to turn us into grateful ambassadors of God’s goodness. In the first anecdote above, we see Jan being attentive to the plight of someone nearby. Some might not have noticed the elderly woman’s struggling—considered it as “normal”. But one of the core conditions of being a caring person is observing and paying attention to others. Then, taking action where a need is obvious, as Jan did.
The transformation into ambassadors of goodness involves a determined conviction that God is alive and loving His creation. Those revolutionized by this spiritual reality are then inspired to do everything they can to improve this life for those around them—both present and future. In the second anecdote, we see the caring person, Kathleen, willing to reach out to another who is hurting. She noticed. She moved over. She gave tissues. She said a few words. So simple. So possible. So needed. So lovely!
This kindness is what followers of Jesus Christ are expected to strive toward, to incorporate into their everyday lives, and to deliver.
There are endless possibilities. Every last follower of Jesus can participate in and help with simple down-to-earth acts of Care and Kindness.
There is a lot more, of course!
The bigger gifts
There is the gigantic part of doing one’s daily work with carefulness, honesty and integrity.
There is the wonderful need for people to beautify and entertain and inspire through music, and all the arts.
There is the overwhelming challenge of saving and improving lives through medical care and scientific discovery. Every industry, from transportation to astronomy, from education to construction, is equally called to glorify God by making this world a better place.
There is also something that comes before, after, and during all the vocational challenges we have. This “something” is a direct and immediate way of letting God out of your heart and into someone else’s life through Care and Kindness. It is possible! It is possible for every man, woman and child, every hour that we are awake.
God is love and every act of Care and Kindness we exhibit is a kind of giving birth to God in that moment. Loving kindness is giving tastes of God to the unsuspecting, to anonymous strangers, to anyone in our sphere of influence or just along our path, and to friends and family. Even when it is not named as coming from The Source Of All Love, loving kindness is nevertheless a gift of God that helps all who receive it or are touched by such a gift in some form.
We are called to suffer
Being a follower of Jesus is not just about having a ticket
to heaven. It is not just about feeling forgiven, saved, redeemed or thankful. It is not simply about feeling anything, even though powerful feelings may nourish
one’s spiritual life.
It is about knowing you are a precious child of God who is needed and who has gifts that The Lord needs you to use. Being a follower of Jesus is to be willing to work hard—even suffer to help God get His message and his Goodness into the world.
St Paul said this:
…those who are led by the Spirit of God
are children of God…
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—
if in fact we suffer with him…
Romans 8:14–16
Paul says, “Suffer with him.” To suffer with Christ means—at the very least—to be going about our everyday business intentionally taking risks to deliver concrete acts and words of Care and Kindness. According to those words of St. Paul, inclusion in the family of Jesus Christ involves a lifestyle that thinks of others and thoughtfully sacrifices one’s personal comfortableness in strategic ways at strategic times to deliver goodness, love, support, and encouragement to others. This is a form of suffering to which we are called.
We may need our minds blown open for this. It is a revolutionary change for many to decide to do what is uncomfortable.
It means that a trip to the bank is not just to deposit money.
It is to notice people and find ways to lift their spirits.
A trip to the Post Office is not just to buy postage stamps.
It is a trip to stand in line and sensitively endeavor to connect with the person next to you and find a way to bless him or her through a word, a listening ear, or a smile.
When back-fence chatter informs you that the couple across the street is going through a divorce or loss of job, the follower of Jesus hears a mandate to send a message or to show up with a spirit-lifting visit—even when you have no idea how to help, what to say, or perhaps even who they are. That is part of the suffering with Christ to which we are called.