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Lately, I have been thinking about how unpleasant the world can be and how simple it would be to improve things, if only we all act a little kinder toward one another. What happened to the golden rule “Treat others as you would want to be treated?” It seems we have lost our way and we do just the opposite — many times we are treating others how we are being treated, and too often that is, quite poorly. We all seem to be rushing around going here or there, trying to make deadlines, appointments– “so much to do, so little time”; and as a result we gripe, we groan, we moan, sometimes even snarl. — We plod along ready to mow over anything or anyone that gets in the way of accomplishing our “to-do list”. “I always manage to pick the wrong line in the checkout!” — how many times have we said that to ourselves? (Or worse, to those around us.) And when we finally do reach the register, we snap at the cashier “That’s suppose to be on sale!” And then we wait in line some more while they do a price check. No wonder the world is full of such grumps sometimes. In turn, people will more often then not, take their frustrations of a hard days work out on someone else. It’s a vicious cycle. And we sit and wonder why there are so many broken homes, suicides, so much violence and other misfortunes far too numerous to count. A result not just caused a few people, but by the constant barrage of many that besieges the masses on a daily basis. We must stop and take a deep breath and look around, realizing our role in this chaos, and we do play a part even if only a small part. Having said that, then we also could play a part in a resolution. Right? We all need to go back to the Bible and see the love and compassion of Jesus. We need to also wake up to the fact that we are ambassadors of Christ and by behaving in such a bad manner to others, we misrepresent Christ and His kingdom. He wants us to “love thy neighbor as thyself”. If we aren’t loving ourselves there is an additional aspect to the problem. But we don’t need to go sit on a psychiatrists couch for several years to begin to change this around if that’s the case. In both respects we need to learn to live our faith. We can start right now, just by beginning to change our attitudes and to begin to stop looking at our watches and concentrating on our lists and begin to look how God can use us today. If we could start each day with a prayer asking God to show us how we can serve him today, and look for those opportunities; no matter how small they may be — a smile, a kind gesture, go a little out of our way to help someone in need. Let us just think for a moment how we feel when we are having a bad day, and a stranger smiles at you, or compliments you. Isn’t that an awesome feeling? Doesn’t it make things a little better, even if just for a short while? Now, if each of us were to do these things on a regular basis, and in turn, those who are moved by our compassion and patience, go to spread these pleasantries on to others that they encounter. How wonderful and quick this joy will spread. I know it sounds like a little thing for such an awesome task, but if each of us are willing do our part, the benefits are limitless. If we become more in tuned to our surroundings, and the people about us, and most importantly to God; surely we can make a difference!
Let us each of us challenge ourselves to do a least 3 random acts of kindness a day. I think once we start and see how good it feels and how it affects others, it will become second nature to us. After all, isn’t this just doing what we’ve been called to do in the first place?

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