Last Sunday in church, the sermon was about kindness. Let me sum up the story for you in a few sentences. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan (grandson of Saul)–a family that had long been at odds with King David. Jonathan and Saul both died in battle when Mephibosheth was a child…he had an accident and became paralyzed…he was considered a low-life and worthless because of his inability to carry on his “house” (the house of Saul). David extended kindness to Mephibosheth. Without question. Without conditions. Whew! That is a lot of detailed story condensed into an embarrassingly succinct few sentences! But now you have the very basic background story.
The story is especially important because of the extreme class differences in these two people. Mephibosheth was a “low life” and David, a king. For this man to be eating at the king’s table whenever he so pleased was a very unheard of thing. Yet that is exactly the offer that King David extended to Mephibosheth.
So…the sermon was about extending kindness to others. And the congregation was challenged…to 30 days of kindness. The specific challenge: Consciously extending kindness at least once a day to others for 30 consecutive days. Not necessarily others in a destitute state as Mephibosheth was (although that is part of it, but maybe not sustainable for a full 30 days…but maybe that is sustainable for 30 days?) but, as the pastor said, to anyone–as long as it’s a conscious effort at extending kindness. And as long as it’s for 30 consecutive days. That part is important.
This seems simple, right? But have you ever consciously done one kind thing a day, each and every day? Sure, we end up doing kind things randomly throughout our days, but consciously and with effort doing one kind thing a day? I thought this was going to be so super easy-peasy…I’m struggling, friends! This exercise has really opened my eyes to how fast we plow through our days, sometimes without looking up. It’s not that I’m being unkind or rude or anything like that. It’s just that I’m not EXTENDING kindness like I could (and should) be. Especially when I often times feel it in my heart but I don’t stop to extend that kind word or kind action.
I’m posting this to stay accountable. Here is my list so far:
Sure, some of these are small acts of kindness–and that’s ok. Others are a little larger. You don’t have to have certain resources to pull this off. Not many people can go out and buy a car for someone or pay someone else’s rent or solve deep-rooted issues in a loved ones life, etc, etc. Some people can’t even buy a cup of coffee for someone because they don’t have the extra 2 bucks. It’s ok. That’s not what this is about. There are lots of ways to show kindness. In fact, I’d love to hear your ideas in the comment section below! Maybe I will use one of your ideas! 🙂 And I’m going to check back in every so often until I’ve completed my 30 Days of Kindness. To stay accountable.
Now…you knew where this was going, right? I now challenge YOU to 30 Days of Kindness. You will take a closer look at your habits. You will have to think first and be intentional about your kindness. You will have days where you forget and then do something lame at the end of the night so you can get your act of kindness in. You will also have some really great moments and you’ll grow and open your heart just a little bit. Which is never a bad thing ❤ 🙂
Five Little Duckies 