WHY KINDNESS DESPERATELY MATTERS

Kindness Matters.

 

Kindness is King.

 

Be Kind to Others.

Why and what does all this mean?  I believe, in my own silly mind, that kindness is key because it can be the hardest thing to do sometimes until we see how desperately we need it as well.  The reason it has become hard is with the current age we are in, we have become programmed to think only of ourselves and to not think of each other as real people anymore. 

Kindness is the former commonplace everyday act that has become the next superpower.

Kindness is a lot like smiling in the fact that it’s super easy and cool to give it out when people are kind to you and being sweet and encouraging you.  I mean, come on…if someone smiles at you and offers you a pleasantry…it’s easy to give it back, right?

 

What Kindness Is Like….

 

Kindness is also a lot like Prayer in that it really is more for keeping our hearts soft, tender, and a submission to who is really in charge than about the act itself.

Kindness is also firmly tied to Compassion in the way that we need to know others are going through stuff too…everyone has stuff people.  Why not be compassionate imagining what that person may be going through.  Not only will it keep your heart free from anger but it gives you eyes to seek out the hurting, the lost, the desperate.

Kindness is absolutely inexplicably linked to GRACE.  Kindness is to be given to those that maybe don’t deserve it in the moment, but need it the most.

Grace by its very definition is unmerited favor.  That means ‘UNDESERVED FAVOR”.  Why?  Because that’s how God works.  Kindness should be given to those that don’t deserve it either.

Why?  Because just like that, kindness can soften a heart.

 

Let’s break this down.

Have you ever felt so frustrated, so angry, so hurt, so betrayed in life that you just wanted to scream or yell at something and ended up snapping at someone that didn’t deserve it?  I know I have…I think we have all been there, honestly.  If you haven’t, well kudos to you….and please give us all lessons if you would.  

The rest of us though, who have snapped at the wrong person, can take a step back and put on our perspective glasses for a moment.

What happened when you snapped at that person?  Well, let’s pretend for a moment that they were kind back to you..came at you with a hug and an ear…what would you have done?  Well, I will tell you what I do over and over when that happens…I cry.  I am humbled.  I am beyond overcome with a combination of self-loathing and frustration at my lack of abilities, but that quickly turns to unbelievable gratitude and a longing and willingness to do better, change, reach up, think more, and seek out giving kindness to others who are hurting.

Why would I then want to seek out kindness to give to others? 

Because kindness is contagious!

If I am given kindness when it wasn’t deserved and have experienced the humbling, changing power that brings, then I, in turn, want to turn around and seek others to lavish kindness on in their time of need.  It truly has a crazy ripple effect that hopefully has no end in sight!

 

WHO NEEDS KINDNESS?

 

We all do, but here are some examples just to get our hearts primed and seeing.

Sometimes those that are hurting lash out because they simply have kept so much bottled up inside for so long that it comes out as a sort of explosion.  

Other times, maybe that person feels so unseen, unheard, unnoticed, and frankly invisible, that it finally comes out in a yelling voice just so they can be “heard”.

What if that person just got the worst news of their life (a loved one died, their spouse has left, etc.) and all of reality is gone and they are unable to communicate and may seem cold and indifferent, but you don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.

What if every day behind closed doors, unbeknownst to anyone else, someone is dealing with a secret hell whether that be an abusive family member, an addiction problem, marital problems, or any other number of issues that could cause them to shut down from society, or to fake happiness on the daily?

 

Do all of these situations not call for kindness to be thrown around like confetti?

Of course they do. They all desperately need kindness, and every other attribute that kindness is linked to…grace, compassion, and love.

 

We all need kindness. 

We all want to be loved.

We all want to belong.

So, today, in a practical sense, what can that look like for you?

Well first off, you really do have to take your perspective glasses out of their case, dust them off and put them on to have eyes to see moments differently and where you can spread kindness.

Got them on?  Alright…here we go for examples.

So, you drop the package off to mail and the lady behind the counter was short and maybe even rude to you.  

That’s OK. 

You don’t know what she is going through.  Does she just need some kindness?  Offer her a genuine smile, not a fake spiteful one, and some kind words.  Genuinely smile from your soul wishing her the best and say, “thank you for your help. Have a nice day.” and be sure you say it with kindness in your voice.

She may just grumble something back, and that is OK too.  In that case, you have kept your heart pure and not let the negativity be contagious to your heart.

BUT

What if she looks up and her entire demeanor changes and her face softens and she either opens up her heart to you or just smiles and says a kind “thank you” or “you’re welcome”.

Is it not worth it?  Of course, it is!  

It is possible that you can throw kindness around like confetti and sprinkle that stuff everywhere and never see the fruits of your kindness labor this side of heaven, and that is OK!  

It is NOT about us or up to us to see that it is working.  There are going to be so many things in this life (I’m convinced most of it actually) that we won’t know what effect they had or how it changed someone’s entire life and the trickle effect of it all until we get to heaven.

Let’s consider this.

There is someone struggling greatly with life in general.  This person has decided that it would be best for the world in general if they were no longer in it.  So, out of desperation, they have made the decision to take their own life.  

BUT, what if before they did, they ran into YOU.  

What if, that person has their head down and is grumbling your order back to you at the drive through checkout.  What if when you pull up, you tell them, “hey thanks so much for being here.  I hope enough people tell you thank you for doing what you do. You guys help keep the world spinning and moving and grooving.  I hope you have a beautiful day and again, thanks so much.”  What could be the possible outcome of just that one scenario?

It truly is a humbling experience to get to be alive and realize all of the people you will have the blessing of touching in this life, while you are here, and how each interaction can affect the next one they may have.

This is not to put pressure on you at all as we all have our days, but an awe-inspiring reminder that LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and we should share that attitude, through simple acts of kindness like being a listening ear when someone needs it, giving a smile where it is not deserved, or simply being compassionate when someone needs it the most.

 

YOU HAVE TO SEEK IT OUT AND BE INTENTIONAL.

 

Here is the deal though.  It takes great effort to be intentional about it these days….why?

The Internet and Social Media Age.

The reason for this is quite simple actually.  Somehow, with the advent of the internet and social media, we have turned the idea of a person (aka a human being) into the sum of their pics they post on social media and the quotes they give and share on there as well.  It is strange really because it seems that we have forgotten that people are REAL.  There are REAL PEOPLE with REAL FEELINGS AND REAL SOULS behind the social media accounts.  

 

People are NOT bots!

It takes effort to remind ourselves of this…People are REAL!

If we can all remember how real we all are and that we are all born, grow, hurt, live, and breathe, how different would the world be?

Kindness wouldn’t matter to a bot, right?

Does Kindness matter to a person?  ABSOLUTELY IT DOES!

 

Luke 6:31 tells us, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Isn’t it amazingly simple really how God is like…here you go and you are welcome…I have given you this beautiful world to live in.  I have given you this irreplaceable gift called life.  I have given you a step by step manual to live it by.  

Somehow we find numerous ways to screw that up, myself included, believe me.

I just wonder though..if Kindness could be the one thing (that is linked to so many other key attributes) that could turn it all around.

 

Here are some facts we know about Kindness:

Kindness never started a war.

Kindness is never wasted in God’s eyes.

Kindness keeps your own heart pure and grateful.

Kindness can save relationships and even lives.

Kindness can heal hearts.

 

Kindness is surely the one thing we are all capable of doing if we only step outside of ourselves, remember that people are real, and think of treating that person how we long to be treated.

 

Please accept this FREE set of inspirational Wall Art Printables to remind you of the importance of Kindness in your everyday life.

We love hearing from y’all!  Please comment below with a time when kindness was bestowed on you in a time of need or when you were able to give it in an undeserved moment. And share this article with someone who maybe could use some encouragement today.  Let’s start a Kindness Revolution!