What Are Acts of Kindness?

“I looked at a great book today. It’s called Help! It talked about how leadership starts with each of us and learning how to instruct and lead ourselves. It just made me think “who’s a great role model for us?” And my thought was- Jesus. He is such a powerful leader, but He always leads by serving. I think being kind is something that we’ve lost the art of doing on a regular basis. I heard this quote that says a divided church has no message to the divided world. That made me think if we, as Christians can’t or aren’t showing kindness even to each other, how can we truly impact the world? I read that and it stopped me in my tracks. Kindness, gentleness, meekness, self control…it’s important for us to reflect the Kingdom. So today I’m going to drop some acts of kindness ideas for you to think about.” ~Joy

An act of kindness is exactly what it sounds like- something big or small you do to show kindness to someone else. I think acts of kindness are the best when they are simple and sincere. It can be something as small as a smile or a complimentary word…here are a few examples to get you going. 

Help an elderly neighbor 

If you have an elderly neighbor or friend, there are many things you can do to help them out. Sometimes what an elderly person needs the most is someone to talk to. You could offer to go to the grocery store or run another errand for them. You could take them dinner, or pack up several portions for them to keep in their freezer. If you want to bless someone, but you don’t live close to them, you can even have groceries or meals delivered to them. Many times, older people could also use some help with housekeeping, yardwork, or making phone calls. If you don’t immediately see what may be helpful, ask them, and you might be surprised by what they say.

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Pay for the next person in line

Have you ever had someone unexpectedly pay for your coffee or lunch? If you haven’t, you might be surprised just how much of an impact it can have on your whole day! Give that gift to someone you feel God leading you to. If you feel shy about it, try a drive thru…you’ll probably be gone by the time they find out! You can even have little notes ready to leave behind if you want to send a message, such as “God loves you.” or “You matter.” 

Some coffee shops allow you to add money to an account that pays for first responders’ orders or for warm drinks and food for homeless people. Ask, and if they don’t have anything set up like that, maybe you can be the first to encourage it!

If you’re more of a dine-in sort of person, enlist your server to help you covertly pay someone else’s bill and then do your best to keep on a poker face while the person you blessed tries to figure out why their bill is paid!

Bring treats for your coworkers

Treating your coworkers to things you know they love is a beautiful way to show you care. You could bring in everyone’s favorite coffee, home baked treats, lunch, or sweet handwritten notes. You might be surprised how walls start to break down when you show kindness to people, sometimes especially the ones that seem the most closed off.  If you don’t work in an office setting, you could take treats to your local firehouse or police station, or make treats for the Amazon and postal delivery people in your neighborhood.

Hopefully these ideas have got your wheels turning. There are so many ways you can use your specific gifts, talents, and passions to be a blessing to others. Think of what you already have or already know how to do to show kindness to the people in your life. Showing kindness could be the first step towards sharing your faith and telling people about the love God has for them. What random acts of kindness have you done before? 

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God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️