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Finding Kindness

September 17, 2021 | Dayrin Perez

“We have a choice, we can focus and dwell on all the negativity or we can look for God in the little things.”

My kids started school 3 weeks ago. A new chapter of life has begun in this household. I can tell you that this mama was having all kinds of feelings on the first day of school. I went from dropping off my oldest at school to dropping off all 3 of them at school. But it’s exciting to hear their stories when they come home from school. They are excited. They are creating friendships. They are becoming even more independent.

My youngest 2 are in Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Every night we must read a book and record it in their read aloud chart. The other night we read a book called Finding Kindness. I know it is a children’s book but it touched my heart deeply. Where am I seeing kindness around me? And more importantly how am I showing kindness to others?

So two things that I am intentionally being mindful and bringing to prayer every day: First, Where am I seeing kindness in the world?

It’s no secret that in our world today there is so much evidence of division, name-calling, putting others down, blaming, and the list goes on. I mean just log on to social media and you’ll be confronted with the total opposite of kindness. But we have a choice, we can focus and dwell on all the negativity or we can look for God in the little things. We can find the kindness in a smile, in a wave, in a random phone call, in the person that might pay for your Starbucks order, in the person helping another, in the affirmations that are given, etc. Reading this book to my girls the other night reminded me that kindness goes a long way and that while our world is filled with negativity there is also good that is happening. I’m choosing to look for the light…to find the kindness.

The second thing I’m being mindful of and bringing to prayer is how am I showing kindness to others? Could you imagine what our world would be like if each day, each of us performed random acts of kindness (yes I know this sounds like the Honda commercial LOL)?  What if we did something nice and unexpected for someone, anyone, whether we knew them or not?  How would that make the other person feel? How would it make you feel? Just like violence leads to more violence, so also can kindness create more kindness. So I’m choosing to help spread kindness…because our world needs it…because I need it…and most importantly because it’s God’s will. “He has told you…what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

Will you join me in finding and showing kindness?