The loudest voice I hear at the moment is ‘love yourself.’ Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with taking care of yourself and looking after your health but where the message about loving others?
Without realising it i’ve been getting my own way, choosing my own ideals regardless of who is affected and started focusing on what I want as opposed to what God wants for me.
Every blog post I write is born from a season i’m genuinely experiencing in life. The lesson I feel God is currently teaching me is selflessness.
In the last blog post we looked at a few principles of what loving others looked like. Now it’s time to get practical. We unpacked what it means to love you neighbour as yourself but how do we actually do it?
Practically loving Your Neighbour Through Random Acts of Kindness
Be the willing answer to someone else’s problem
A stranger approached me and a friend the other day as we were chatting on the train. It was clear that he couldn’t speak or understand much English but needed help with his ticket. On inspection of the papers in his hand, I saw that he was on the wrong train, possibly even going in the wrong direction.
My friend quickly started looking at opportunities for him to swap trains, by the time we had communicated the instructions, he had missed the chance to get off the train!
Although a total stranger we became invested in his life and wanted to help. My friend found him an alternative route even took the time to find google translate instructions into his native language so he had confidence in the rest of his journey.
It dawned on me, if we weren’t willing to help the man, who would have been? Sometimes we see people in need and think “someone else will help them”. What if that someone is you? You may well be the key to unlocking someone else’s problems.
Recognise it costs nothing to be kind
Some may look at helping a stranger with their train journey as pointless and insignificant but it cost us nothing but time. We didn’t pay anything, our journey wasn’t affected and neither were our plans. We did not lose anything in choosing to help this stranger. In fact, we gained blessings.
Jesus’ gives us the greatest example of kindness. His entire ministry was about giving. He gave out of the abundance of His heart. He didn’t ask for payment nor did He ask for applause. Jesus’ joy came from simply changing the lives of others.
Acts 20:35 - have shown you in every way, by labouring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Allow your giving to give back
It is often said that when you give, you actually receive. I’ll be honest it makes no sense until you experience it. One thing that stood out to me when we took time to help this stranger, although we didn’t exchange names or numbers, we exchanged smiles. We may have struggled to understand each other through words but no smile was lost in translation.
We watched worry turn into joy right before our eyes. Although we may not have gained a physical reward, the joy of a stranger was definitely infectious. Trust me.
Loving others doesn’t have to be hard, it doesn’t have to cost you the earth and it certainly doesn’t mean you lose out. I want you to take one more step with me on this journey. Ask God to bring someone on your path today who’s problem you can unlock.
Be prepared for the unexpected, be prepared to go out of your way to help others. Be generous in your giving. There’s honestly nothing to lose.
What is God teaching you about kindness? What ways can you show love to someone today? Share your ideas in the comments below and join the fun on Instagram.