O.K. enough of this gloom and doom stuff. The last few days my posts have reflected my feelings. Most of these words were not meant to bring people down. There’s enough of that in the news. Unfortunately, reality isn’t great right now. However, we are living in this world and the only way I can see for us to make it through any kind of difficulty is to direct our eyes to God’s Word. His voice is clearly in the inspired word.

Jesus said this to His audience, “I have said these things to you so that, in me you may have peace. In this word you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

Those words of reassurance should give us all kinds of hope when it looks like there is none. Jesus knew what His mission was. It wasn’t pretty. He would suffer torture, pain, suffering and death, but He was willing to do so. He went uncomplaining to the cross and took with Him all the sins of the world. That’s more than an act of random kindness. It’s the gift that was given without expectation – or unconditional love. His death led to resurrection, which is what we have to look forward to when we believe.

When Jesus spoke the sermon on the Mount, He said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. what you will eat or what you will drink, nor your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 ESV

Our acts of random kindness are nothing like the gift we received from God, but He wants us to give from our heart without expecting reward. There are so many little ways we can do that. We can make a meal for someone who is homebound. We can pray for them. We can send a note of encouragement. We can shovel a sidewalk, clean a house, offer your services freely to someone who can’t afford them. We can give a welcome hug. We can say, “I love you,” and mean it. We can take care of the child of a single parent who can’t afford childcare. We can send them a silly emoji to make them smile. We can listen to their story.

Yesterday was the first day in a long time that I was able to get out of the house and do some shopping. As I searched for a parking place close to the entrance, a woman was going to her car and noticed me. She pointed to her car, which was in a perfect spot. After she filled her trunk, she pointed to the shopping cart as if to ask if I wanted to use it. My heart was filled with joy at that simple act. I was able to use the cart as a walker to get me into the store and was close enough that I wouldn’t run out of breath. The woman didn’t know me, yet she saw that I was in need of help and provided it without question. I hope she knows that a simple act like that made my day. It gave me hope in humanity again.

As I entered the store, I saw people smiling and helping each other. I actually felt like I was on a different planet. The world will always look dark when you are hidden behind dirty windows. Being cooped up, I was exposed to the darkness in the sounds of the news, the internet and social media. My mood was getting darker by the minute. Some would say, I just needed to get out of the house, but I feel this simple act of kindness was a lesson I needed to learn. There are still people who care about each other. There is kindness out there. We simply have to look for it.

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