When A Kind Act Does A Big Belly Flop

When a Kind Act Does a Big Belly Flop

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Galatians 6:9

“Well, that was a disaster,” I muttered as my husband, Kyle, and I started cleaning up dinner.

We had just attempted to facilitate a devotion with our children during our family dinnertime. But thwarting our sober conversation, the baby decided it would be a good time to scream in her high chair, and my youngest son could not refrain from making inappropriate comments, inciting giggles from the other kids.

The meaningful conversation I’d planned to have during our supper quickly spiraled downward, right along with the food thrown on the floor. My patience wore thin, and I told the kids to hurry up so I could clean up in quiet. The loud sigh that followed was an all-too-obvious signal that I was tired and had had enough.

Not everything we plan to do works out. Not every act of kindness becomes a teachable moment. My kids are compassionate and loving, but they are still kids who sometimes throw tantrums, yell, get angry, and act greedy.

So why do I try? Why continue trying to teach kindness?

Because my kids need to know they are not the center of the universe. Kind acts toward others have taught my family about gratitude and compassion, grace and humility, in a way that little else has. And so, even when I mess up or my kids just don’t get it, I won’t stop or quit. I won’t become weary in doing good, because I know God promises a harvest of blessing if I don’t give up. I’m beginning to understand that a life without kindness is akin to a life without Christ. And when it comes right down to it, I want my children to see these acts of kindness—even the screw-ups—as acts of Christ, a little bit of heaven brought to earth.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Think about the last kind act you did that didn’t turn out how you had hoped. Instead of getting discouraged, think about what you learned through the experience.