“Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel” (Proverbs 11:17).
I was standing in line at Wal-Mart, waiting to pay for my purchases. The woman in front of me was a grandmother with two small children — a baby in a carriage and a little girl at her side. The girl was crying softly, and although I didn’t know why she was crying, I could see that the grandmother was quite impatient with her.
In the midst of trying to pay for her purchases, she asked impatiently, “Why are you crying?” The girl pointed to the spot in the carriage where she wanted to sit. I guess she was tired from shopping.
So while the grandmother was paying for her purchases, I asked the little girl, “Would you like me to help you get in the carriage?” She nodded, so I lifted her into the carriage and adjusted it so she could sit comfortably.
The grandmother looked around, and her facial expression softened as she spoke more kindly to the child.
I was surprised how quickly the grandmother’s attitude improved when I took the time to help the little girl. One small act of kindness affected a positive change. It took a few minutes, but it made a difference. We can be change-agents.
“Love is patient and kind.”
The next time you are in a mall or grocery store, ask God if there is someone you can help. The world would be so much more pleasant if we all did little “acts of kindness” every day. Can you imagine a world where people would regularly take the time to be kind to others?
Father, You are kind! And You asked us to be kind. Please change us into kind people. Amen.