"Random Acts of Kindness" are one of the most powerful things on the planet. I often wonder how many of them are nudges by the Holy Spirit, and maybe are not quite random.
Have you felt the Spirit tugging at your heart, calling you to an action that might not be your usual pattern of behavior? Have you courageously stepped out in love and compassion? How did it feel?
The crazy thing about "Random Acts of Kindness" is their level of contagiousness. Every once in a while, and it is not always at Christmas, examples of compassion are suddenly everywhere. To give without the need for a response is to give freely.
Now, I am a huge advocate for manners, because they are good for relationships, but compassion, freely given, is its own reward. It lightens the soul. Jesus said this:
"You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." Luke 6:36
He loved us before we loved him back.
"We love because he first loved." -1 John 4:19
He loved out loud. He loved freely. He loved people with sometimes gentle acts of compassion. Other times, he performed outrageous miracles. He delivered what the soul needed. Not what they wanted or expected, but what they needed.
I am reminded, by the same token, we are all uniquely fingerprinted creations. Of course, not everyone gets the same canned response to a prayer. Not everyone spends the same amount of time in the waiting places. For some it is ten minutes. For others, it is ten years.
Wherever you find yourself on this day, our God is waiting to fill you with His abiding and boundless love.
We are never too broken, too damaged or too worn out to find retreat and healing in His arms of love. (Earworm is singing some old Amy Grant tonight... an oldie but a goodie.)
Today, I am grateful for examples of compassion.
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