Use What You Know

Use What You Know

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

1 Peter 4:10

My kids have a hard time with reading. One year, as summer approached, I wondered how I could get my kids to read more. More than just that, I wanted to find books they really liked to read that would hold their interest. Unsure of what to suggest to them, I reached out to my husband’s cousin Holly, who is an avid reader and a middle-school librarian. I asked for her help in finding books my kids would enjoy.

She quickly messaged me back with many book suggestions for each of my children, but then she offered something more than just her knowledge: she offered to bring books to my kids after she visited her school’s library the next Tuesday. To say I was overjoyed was an understatement. I was elated. She came by the following Tuesday and spent time with my kids, telling them about the books she picked and why she thought they’d like these particular ones. My kids were sold, and later that afternoon I sent her a picture of them reading in the living room, along with a huge thank-you message.

She has since offered to come by each Tuesday to pick up the books my kids have finished and to bring them more. When I try to tell her how much I appreciate her kindness, she shrugs and says that getting kids to read is something she loves to do. That may be so, but it is still a huge kindness to this mom, and it’s one of my favorite memories from that summer.

We don’t always have to step outside of who we are or outside of our comfort zones to show kindness to others. Sometimes kindness starts with something we already know a lot about or that is very familiar to us. As Holly demonstrated, our passions or areas of expertise can be just the kindness someone else is in desperate need of. Scripture reminds us that God has given each of us gifts and we should use them to serve one another. What expertise do you have that you could share with another?

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Use something you are already passionate about to show kindness toward someone else.