Serving Up Kindness

Serving Up Kindness

You yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind.

Titus 2:7

One winter my friend Christa decided to start helping out at the Meals on Wheels program that delivers hot meals to elderly residents in her community. She told me that she had an itch to give more of herself away, even to complete strangers, and that she hoped to shine the light of Jesus into their lives.

She also told her three boys that they would be helping her when summer came around. Initially, the boys had grumbled and even asked what they’d get paid for helping, but as she and her husband, Jason, explained to them the importance of serving others (and that staying home wasn’t an option), they begrudgingly agreed. The boys ended up thoroughly enjoying themselves, and as the summer went on they were engaging in conversation with the elderly people and even at times arguing about who would get to carry the trays.

She went on to tell me, “This once-a-week serving is not fancy, and it goes unnoticed by many. We believe that including our boys in this small act of kindness will stick with them as they grow into young men who will have a greater desire to see love and kindness in the world around them.”

Christa is an example of doing good works of every kind, leading her family by her godly example. She began a pattern of being the hands and feet of Jesus in her community, and then she took the time to show her children how to do it as well. We don’t have to be parents to set a good example for others. We all have other people who are observing our lives and actions, and the best way to “tell” them to do some act of kindness is to do it ourselves and then ask others to join us.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

The next time you do an act of kindness, invite someone else to join you.