In an effort to spread kindness, February 17th has been set to be Random Acts of Kindness Day. The week leading to this day consists of many activities that people from all over the world can participate in. Some activities can go from writing a letter to someone, letting someone know how much you care about them, to giving someone a gift card. It's great to make your loved ones feel appreciated but to put a twist to this event, I also want to encourage you to be kind to those that may not be as kind to you.
I’m sure many have heard the saying, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” It’s been used for ages. Of course, it’s way easier to treat people rudely if they do the same to us right? If someone hurt us two years ago, it’s easy to hold a grudge. But, what if instead of reacting in a way that’s expected, you act with kindness, with generosity, and out of love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a Scripture from the Bible that I always try to keep in mind because it reads, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things".
It helps encourage us to be humble, giving, kind and illustrates the fruits a big theme this month, love!
Being kind is a choice that we must choose to make.
Looking at Things from a Different Viewpoint
A takeaway that I hope to pass along is that true kindness is when you are kind even to those who aren’t so kind to you. I know it might sound ludicrous to some, but that’s a challenge on its own because who would think of being kind to someone who made their day worse?
To accept this challenge, I think it is important to look at others' reactions from multiple perspectives. For example, if you said hello to a friend and they did not return the greeting, then try not to assume that they dislike you or that they are upset with you. Maybe they did not catch your 'hello' because they were busy thinking or something did not go as they planned it to go. If that's the case, you can always send them a message, that way, they can reply when they are ready. Everyone has a unique reaction to different scenarios and this is why it is always important to be kind and patient when it's our turn to react.
We do not know what every person goes through in their personal life so even a 'Hey, how are you doing' can make a huge difference. It can initiate conversation and it might be just what someone who was on the verge of a breakdown, needed to hear.