Not Just One More Thing To Do - The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional

Not Just One More Thing to Do

Do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Several years ago, when Julie first suggested that we start doing acts of kindness, particularly around Christmastime, my first internal response was Nooo! Honestly, when I thought about how busy all of us were already, it kind of felt like one more thing to do. But as I was encouraged by Julie’s and Kristin’s excitement to do it, I let go of my reservations and found that doing kind acts actually helped the Christmas season feel more meaningful—more like Christmas is supposed to feel.

Then one year, Kristin had the idea that after Christmas, we should do a whole year of kindness. Every day we would do a kind act for someone else, and again I thought, Nooo! Although I could imagine doing acts of kindness during the Christmas season, it just seemed like a lot of work to continue them throughout the whole year. Who really needs one more thing to do? But after a little discussion about what it would look like, I agreed to do it with them, however grudgingly, and again I found out the most amazing thing (something you’ve probably discovered for yourself by this point): over time, the kind acts simply became a part of who I am. They were no longer separate acts I had to fit into my day, independent of everything else I had to do. They became a natural expression of love and care toward others, which only enhanced what I was already doing in my life. Doing intentional acts of kindness added a new dimension to my faith and love for God that I had not experienced before we began.

Deciding to add kind acts to our days can feel like adding one more thing to an already-full to-do list. But when we do everything with love, we have the opportunity to extend kindness toward others during the course of our normal days. We just might find that we are not only following God’s command to love, but that doing so gives our spirits a sense of fulfillment, reminding us of what is truly important.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Come up with a small way to show kindness to someone in the places you are already going. Buy someone a cup of coffee, share a treat, or leave an encouraging note.