Small Kindnesses by Lorrie Orr

 

"I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love." J. R. R. Tolkien

This month's prompt: What small deeds of kindness have you witnessed or experienced? How did they make you feel? In a world that is often unkind, small kindnesses can mean much. Write about a kindness you have been shown or have shown to someone else.

In 2009 my husband unexpectedly lost his job in a rather brutal fashion. After 10 months he found another, and we were thankful, though still hurting. His new job meant moving a couple of hours away. We struggled to fit into our new, smaller community. Finding a church home was difficult. I began attending a woman's Bible study, and we tried to find a small group knowing that we ourselves needed to reach out if we were to find community. People were neither welcoming nor kind. Our hearts ached for what we had lost and were now unable to find. As the months wore on, and I ached for warmth and connection, walls of cold stone piled around my heart.  

One evening, while strolling through our neighbourhood, we met a realtor setting up an open house. In chatting, we discovered that he had attended the same church for awhile and found the same lack of connection. He invited us to another church, one that we would have never before considered. 

That Sunday the pastor opened her sermon with "God is the kindest person you will ever meet." Tears rained down my face at her words. They were balm to my hard and wounded heart. I felt the cold stone of my heart softening. The simple truth of God's kindness was shown in fellow congregants inviting us to share coffee or a meal. Slowly the ice around my heart melted as I considered God's kindness demonstrated by this small group of kind people. 

I am thankful that God shows kindness to me despite my many faults. In Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) we are urged to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." God's kindness is shown in myriad ways. Forgiveness certainly. When I hurt he lavishes his love on me and calls me his child; when I doubt he walks with me through the questions, never pausing his kindness. When I mourn he comforts me with his presence. Because of God's kindness to me, I am filled with his Spirit that helps me to show kindness to others. 

Have you ever noticed how being kind to someone who might be belligerent or angry can catch them off guard? Showing kindness rather than retaliation often diffuses a situation, enabling a reasonable discourse to take place. Kindness softens and tenders hard hearts. 

Kindness is not a small thing. Being kind can require much grace and God's strength. Proverbs 21:21 tells us that being kind benefits not only the receiver, but the giver: "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor." Kindness stands out as a shining beacon in a world that is judgmental, polarizing, and harsh. 

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island where Spring has suddenly sprung, displaying the kindness and goodness of God in nature.