Day Four: Kindness and Goodness

      I think that having kindness and goodness in our lives as Christians are amazing fruits to possess, and that they will benefit our lives as well as others! Being kind and good to others, is one way to show love to them!
      I remember one time, when I was at Teen Serve my first year. That year was really lonely for me, because while everyone was talking and laughing with their groups of friends, I had nobody, and would often be sitting by myself, bored and lonely. One day, a girl came up to me, and introduced herself, and started talking to me. It was only a few minutes of talking, and I don't really remember who she is, or anything about her, but I was so incredibly blessed in that moment by her kindness towards me, when I was feeling lonely!
      Being kind doesn't have to be something grand, or important! Some of the things we do to show kindness to others seem unimportant, and really insignificant, when really, our small acts of kindness can brighten somebody's day!! Just simply talking to people, and making an effort to show that you care to talk to them really does make a HUGE difference!!! I'm sure that girl that came to talk to me, had to pull herself away from her friends and people she knew, to come and say "Hi!" to the awkward girl standing in a corner by herself!
      Don't be discouraged if you can't find some grand deed to show off your kindness!! Jesus said "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” in Matthew 10:42. Being willing to do small tasks or chores for people, is often the best and most efficient way to show kindness!
      Goodness is pretty close to the same thing as kindness! One time when I was young, my dad ran to Starbucks to grab something through the drive thru. When he got up to pay for his things, he also requested to pay for the person behind him! It probably blessed the person behind us significantly! What if you drove up to the cashier to pay, having not so good of a day, cranky about a long day at work, and stressed out, when the cashier tells you "You're coffee is paid for! The person in front of you paid for you!!" I'm sure it brought a smile to his face.
      My dad,being humble, had told us at the time to not tell anybody, that he didn't want to brag, for Matthew 6:3-4 tells us "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you." I guess I'm spilling the beans now, hahaha!! This story has stayed with me for years, and whenever I think of kindness and goodness, this story pops in my head!! It might not be the most fun to use your money to pay for somebody's food or drinks, but it is an amazing act of goodness my dad showed! 
      I just wanted to use that story as an example that 1) The small acts of kindness/goodness are the most important ones! and 2) That we don't need to proclaim our good acts to the world, that God sees what we're doing, and he will reward us!
      Try to think of ways to bless someone through small acts of kindness today. You never know what they are going through, and how much you'll make a difference in their lives. 
~~Katie~~