Random Acts of Kindness....

It is an interesting phrase....random acts of kindness.
It is also interesting and thought stirring to see in action. Take a look at what I mean....

Instead of having a regular youth group meeting tonight, we decided to meet at Krispy Kreme and do a car wash for a couple of hours. It really was an easy thing to accomplish....gather up soap, wash mits, and hoses.....make a few signs for the street corners for the cute junior highers to wave around...and shazam!.....instant evening of fun. What was it that brought us a continual flow of customers? Was it the location of being at the popular sweet treats spot, the hot weather bringing sun lovers out in force, or just the metro area cars being dusty from a lack of rain? The means doesn't matter. All I know is we had happy teens circling around every car that pulled into our corner.

Our signs advertised our services for $1. Yes really. Whether the customer had a mini cooper or a monster truck, the cost was simply $1. Maybe that is what brought the people in. Either way, how fun it was for the people to park their car for a washing and go sit inside the air conditioned building for a free "hot and ready" doughnut. Here is where it got interesting though. When it came time for each person to pay their $1,
we would say to them, "It DOES cost a dollar to get your car washed. But tonight we want to bless you and pay that dollar for you."
Then we would hand them a dollar with a small card attached that said "This is our simple way of saying that God loves you."

The different reactions were amazing. It is so out of the ordinary for people to do something nice with no strings attached. People just don't know how to react or how to accept the kindness. Some smiled genuine smiles of thankfulness while some looked for the candid camera that they thought for sure was poised somewhere close by. Some stammered in embarassment at not knowing how such fortune could happen to them while a few others fumed with anger at us for not wanting to accept a donation.

I have said it many times over again...performing random acts of kindness is an addictive shot in the arm. If you are not careful you will find yourself doing it more and more simply because of the rush you get. The person receiving the kindness can't help but be touched...even if they don't show it on the outside....the experience is there in their minds and hearts and it stays in their memory banks for the rest of thier lives. The person performing the kindness gets affected too. See, by nature we are self centered. But take one step out of that zone and it is an adrenalin rush like no other. I believe it is because no one can MAKE you be kind. Yes, you can be made to act a certain way, but to randomly do something for a stranger is a whole different story.

Random acts of kindness comes in all shapes and sizes. A simple smile and eye contact with someone can make the gray cloud over their day disperse. Grab the door at a store and hold it for people to walk thru. Leave extra money at the counter to pay for the mocha that the person behind you is going to buy. And don't do it because he or she is cute or built tight. Do it because you heard them sigh several times and when you turned around their eyes couldn't look your way for all the trials weighing them down.

The motive is simply to bless...no strings attached. You will be amazed at what you find.