Choosing to Make Someone’s Day Because You Can

It should be no surprise to any of us how powerful little kindnesses are in encouraging people having a hard day.

Imagine living in this paradox: life is tough, yet you resolve to throw off the consciousness of your very present hardship, just enough, to give someone a beautiful smile; to that person who just cut you off in traffic.

Or, in being encouraged, you take the time to tell that person... “thank you, do you know how much [the little thing they did] meant? Do you know how inspiring that is to me? Thank you!”

And it’s your genuineness that wins their scepticism over and gets them to trust that you really do want to encourage them for their encouraging you. They experience a very special encounter with another human being.

There’s power in the little things. God is in the little things. The eternal realm is in the little things. And joy, hope, peace, love, and much virtue is in the little things.

Resolving to do the little things you can, to do them well, to do them with pleasure, and to do them because you know that’s where the abundant life is... such a resolution abounds to the heights of a heavenly joy.

It’s a husband doing the dishes and vacuuming for his wife, without her asking.

It’s seeing the opportunity in the workplace, to do a nice thing, yet to do it in secret.

It’s finding someone’s credit card isn’t working and offering to pay, with no thanks or payback required.

It’s the forgiving of a transgression, like someone hanging up on you, and not seeking to even the score.

It’s that voice inside your heart that says, “they must be doing it especially tough today; I think I’ll try to ease their burden a little… I don’t need to get my own back.”

This is where the heart of God is at. This is where God engorges our hearts with a joy that humanity or the world cannot give. In this space, God does a work inside us.

God transforms us by the renewing of our minds when we see the positive impact we can make for His Kingdom. These things done are our good and useful, no valuable, and perfect worship.

God will show us a new thing almost every time we do something kind for someone, especially when we do it without a moment’s thought, and expect nothing in return.

God needs fewer hurt people who hurt people, and he needs more people willing to absorb a hurt in Jesus’ name.

The power of grace works in gentleness; a soft answer turns away wrath, and it avails space for an aggressor to reflect.

A good deed done,

Without any credit sought,

Amounts to one heart won,

Peace in that soul God has wrought.

© 2016 Steve Wickham.