Ways to Encourage #9: Random Acts of Kindness

There are many random acts of kindness you can do for others - too many to list them all here. But, here are just a few ideas I wanted to share:

~ When you are running errands, give a friendly wave to someone just because you can, or give them a nice smile and say, "Have a nice day!"

~ Give someone a hug.

~ Hold the door open for someone.

~ Instead of scowling at a mother with a crying toddler, give her a pat on the shoulder and tell her you understand. Go even further and ask her if there's anything you can do to help. Maybe ask her for a shopping list and help her gather the things she needs while she tends to the child.

~ Pay for the groceries of the person behind you in line, or pay for someone's meal at a restaurant. I personally know of one local family who recently had this done for them. It was anonymous. They, in turn, did the same thing for someone else in that same restaurant.

~ Leave a bag of groceries on someone's doorstep who is in need. Do the "knock and run" sort of thing, if you prefer, so it remains anonymous. This happened to my family when I was young. My parents were involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship at the time and we were down to butter and crackers for our evening meal. We prayed and thanked the Lord for what he had provided and heard a knock on our door. A sack of groceries was there, but no one to be seen. It was enough to get us through until my dad's next "paycheck" arrived in the mail.

~ There is an actual "Pay it Forward Day" that is set this year for April 26th. Here is a website dedicated to this day. It gives lots of suggestions and ideas for helping others:  http://payitforwardday.com/ Of course, you don't need to wait until April 26th to bless someone else with an act of kindness.

~ Here is another website that also lists ideas to do for people you know, people you don't know, for our world, and for yourself (Yes, don't forget to treat yourself to something nice once in awhile, too!). This website not only shares ideas, but also has "Smile Cards" you can download and print out for free. These cards are not needed, of course, but they add a nice touch and serve as a reminder to someone who has been "tagged" with a random act of kindness:   http://www.helpothers.org/cards.php

~ Here's one more website that "inspires people to practice kindness and pass it on to others." This website even shares lesson plans, crafts, and ideas for getting classrooms or groups of kids involved:  http://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Have fun with encouragement!