At the traffic lights today I took a flyer advertising a cheap car service. I already have about 5 in my car. I took the flyer and told the guy handing them out to have a good day. He said the same thing to me. I smiled and he smiled. And then I thought about kindness.
For years I have take flyers from guys (sometimes girls) standing at the traffic lights. If I'm driving somewhere with other people in the car they usually ask why I take them. Normally I respond that I'm trying to help someone who is trying to help themselves by earning an honest living. I think from today I might just say I take them because it's kind.
I've been thinking about kindness a lot lately, about how so much of loving people comes back to simply being kind. It's hard to love if we're not kind. I think kindness must be one of the core characteristics of God - gentle, gooey, sympathetic kindness for us! It takes kindness from God to listen to our prayers; it takes kindness from us to listen to our friends hearts. It takes kindness from God to paint the sunset and the sunrise; it takes kindness from us to smile at a stranger. I used to think of God's love (and therefore my love for others) as some ethreal, far off, emotional experience but I'm learning that God's love isn't far off but very practical when we look at it in the context of patience, courtesy, humility and kindness.
I'm spending more of my time looking for opportunities to show kindness. I'm trying to smile at strangers, do the dishes, bring someone a glass of water, take flyers, tell someone they look pretty, respond kindly to a request instead of harshly, stay late at the office when everyone else has gone home. (If you think of more please comment on this post!) I'm realising the more I look for acts of kindness the more I see opportunities for me to be kind. Today's list of kind things I experienced includes (but isn't limited to): my brother's sharing a car so I can use mine, the man at the traffic light telling me to have a nice day, people changing their timetables to fit me in, the security guard asking me how I am, my boyfriend sending a message with an encouraging word and my collegue saying she'll take on a project I don't want to.
When I look back on my life it's the moments of remarkable kindness that stand out for me: the lady who came to clean our house for free when I was growing up and my mom was sick, my mom's other friend who would bring hot butter popcorn for us to enjoy, the lady who I hardly knew who gave me a place to sleep for two weeks when I would otherwise have been homeless in a strange city, my parents giving me a trip overseas. At the time I took these things for granted but now I see them as kindness. When I think of these people I think that's the kind of life I want to lead. What kind of life do you want?
Hey Wendy, I couldn't find your email anywhere so I decided to post here. I just read your blog on Relevant's website titled 'A Place to be Honest' and I loved it. After the piece it describes you a little bit. Here is the snippet that caught my attention: She has somewhat of a love/hate relationship with the insitutional church. I am part of a home church and I totally understand where you are coming from. Are you part of a home church? I have read 'Pagan christianity' and I heard tha t 'Rediscovering church' (the sequel; both by Frank Viola) is a really good book. At the home church we share, do accountability, have communion (full meal), sing, pray and have a very solid time in relationships with the ekklesia. Your thoughts on any of this? Wish your email was posted somewhere. Thanks!
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