When I hear stories involving acts of kindness I’ll sometimes end up feeling worse about myself. Serving has come to mean something very specific: it’s big, it’s bold and it turns a lot of heads. The things I do don’t seem to compete with the stories of kindness usually told. I realize that these stories make headlines because they are more interesting than everyday acts of kindness (after all, Extreme Makeovers Home Edition wouldn’t be able to compete with LOST if it highlighted normal stories), however, these remarkable stories don’t seem to encourage people to serve others in normal everyday ways. My friend Jim Henderson wants to change that. He coined the term Otherlyness and is on a mission to help people begin to count the small and doable things that many times we are already doing and not just the big stuff. I’ve found that when I start counting the small stuff I not only feel better about myself, but I also start to do those small things more often.
Updating…
Otherlyness is discussed on The Practicing Church Blog from Off The Map.
Music by Robbie Reider.
I heard someone once say that some of the most important acts of service are those that no one sees. I’ve also heard that being “Christian” isn’t convenient. However, you see it, acts of service should be about the character, the heart behind the action. We all have need at one time or another. And isn’t that how we should be living. Taking a few more seconds to do the “right thing.” I think of that insurance commercial where acts of kindness become contagious. Big things, small things, they all make a difference. And they change the atmosphere in a split second.
This clip was encouraging and I thank you for it I do lots of volunteer stuff…a lot of it nobody even sees or appreciates. Sometimes I ask myself if it’s worth it. I’ll grumble to myself that nobody really cares about all the “behind the scenes” stuff that I do. Thanks for the reminder that God sees it and God cares.
I like this. It makes me feel like I can live in the Kingdom of God right hear on planet earth today. Ways to be loving. I also visit someone in an ‘old folks home’. Each week my friend asks me who I am and asks why i’m here. I tell her that I came by just to visit her. It can be affirming to repeat the same thing each week because it speaks love each time you say it.