A Twist of Faith on Random Acts of Kindness

by Sally Matheny

    

A Twist of Faith on Random Acts of Kindness

 Kindness. It breaks through barriers. One act of kindness can turn a person's day around. Just one thoughtful deed has the potential to open up a whole, new life for someone.  

There are many stories about random acts of kindness. I recently read about a family waiting until a neighbor went to work. Then, they secretly placed a festive welcome mat at her front door. The children especially liked giving in secret; much like that St. Nicholas fellow did long ago. 

    

Not expecting anything in return, not even recognition, helps keep the giver humble and focused on the giving.

Doing kind deeds is a great way to help us concentrate on other people rather than ourselves. Children, who are constantly adding to their wish lists, are prime candidates for this type of project.

There are tags available on-line to leave for the recipients of random acts of kindness. But I don't care for the slogan ,"You've been R.A.C.K.'ed!" (Random ACt of Kindness) 
    
I wanted to create a different kind of tag. I desired to add a twist of faith—something that told about the ultimate act of kindness—that of Jesus Christ. The result is a card that begins: “You’re B.A.C.K.! (Blessed by an Act of Christian Kindness). The card ends by sharing about God's greatest act of kindness and how it isn't random at all, but intentional.

You're B.A.C.K. (Blessed by an Act of Christian Kindness)

by Sally Matheny

Blessed by an Act of Christian Kindness

 Kindness breaks through barriers. One act of kindness can turn a person's day around. Just one thoughtful deed has the potential to open up a whole, new life for someone.  

This week I'm reposting an article I wrote about this time last year. It prompted an overflowing of two-way blessings. I thought it would be beneficial to post it again.  

     



There are many stories about random acts of kindness. I heard about a family waiting until their neighbor went to work. Then, they secretly placed a festive welcome mat at the neighbor's front door. The children in this family liked giving in secret; much like that St. Nicholas fellow did long ago.     

Kind deeds are a great way to concentrate on other people rather than ourselves.Children, who are constantly adding to their wish lists, are prime candidates for this type of family project. Not expecting anything in return, not even recognition, will keep the giver humble and focused on the giving.

There are plenty of cards and tags to print from the internet and leave for the recipients of your random acts of kindness.  
    
However, for my family's secret giving, I wanted to create a different kind of tag. I desired to add a twist of faith—something that told about the ultimate act of kindness—that of Jesus Christ. 

The result is a card that begins: “You’re B.A.C.K.! (Blessed by an Act of Christian Kindness). The card ends by sharing about God's greatest act of kindness and how it isn't random at all, but intentional.

What’s in Your Attic? What the Items You Save Say About You

by Sally Matheny

Attic Stairwell by Van Gogh, courtesy of wikimedia

I’m thankful for many things, however, I have too many things.
Are you a collector?  I’ve reduced my collections. My Santa figurines are long gone, and my angel assembly has reduced to three or four—if you include the one that sits on top of the Christmas tree. Although I’ve held onto my collection of teacups, I no longer scour second-hand shops for another lovely addition. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized these things take up too much room and too much time dusting. So, I stopped collecting these things. Sounds liberating, doesn’t it? It sounds like it. Yet, I still cringe when I look in my attic. I’d die if you saw my attic right now. Even though, I stopped collecting items years ago, I still have too much stuff. I’m not a hoarder, but maybe I’m holding onto some things which I need to let go. This week I went to the attic and considered long and hard why I’ve saved the items I have.  Perhaps what I am learning will help you determine what the items you’re saving say about you.