Today’s Growth from A to Z topic for K is Kindness (including Service).

What is Kindness?

We tend to think of kindness as simply “being nice to people.” But Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes kindness as (among other things) “that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses.”

This is where service comes in.  We do want to treat people well, in general, but we also want to, specifically, help “supply their wants” (meet their needs) and “alleviate their distresses.”  To serve.

How do we do this, especially when (for many of us) our days are tied up in caring for tiny humans?  (As my four-year-old put it not long ago, my job is “getting juice and stuff.”)

How to Be Kind/Serve Others

1. Remember the Golden Rule

In all honesty, loving/being kind to/caring for others, although it isn’t often easy, is usually very simple.  The so-called “Golden Rule” pretty much covers it: do to others what you would have them do to you.  This is actually a paraphrase of Jesus’ words!  “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them..” (Matt. 7:12)

Sometimes, it’s only necessary for us to slow down and think for long enough to figure out what someone needs.  If we do this, we’ll find plenty of small, quick ways to help in addition to the “bigger” opportunities: giving a hand up to someone who has fallen, grabbing something from a grocery store shelf that’s too high for a shorter person (or someone in a wheelchair) to reach, picking up something someone dropped, leaving the better parking space, feeding someone’s parking meter, etc.

I challenge you to watch over the next week and see if you can notice at least one opportunity for serving someone that you might not have noticed as an opportunity if you weren’t intentionally paying attention to people.

2. Be Mindful that Our Family Members Are Worth Serving

Our children are not exempt from our service by virtue of being our responsibility!  All those cups of juice I pour…those are service.  Whether or not I choose to pour the juice with a good attitude, in a manner that’s mindful that I’m serving is up to me.  (Ouch.)  But don’t undervalue these opportunities.

If you’re a stay-at-home parent, you probably serve all day long.  Do you act like it?  (Again, those are my own toes I’m stepping on!)

Our spouses are worthy of our service, too.  Again, do we act like it?  When you have to pick up a pair of socks and put them in the hamper two feet away, do you grumble and fume, or do you appreciate the opportunity to so quickly and easily serve the one you love most?  (My husband is actually the neatnik in our house, so I have to look for other ways to serve him.  Like making sure my own socks make it into the hamper.)

Author Shaunti Feldhahn has a kindness challenge right now that you can sign up for here.  (It’s free.)  Although much of what the 30-day challenge addresses probably falls more accurately under what we talked about for Grace (it’s more about attitude), there is a bit of “doing” involved, as well.

3. Look for Service Opportunities the Children Can Participate In

Involving our children in service is one of the most effective ways to teach them the importance of serving.  There’s an ebook in the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle specifically about teaching very young children to serve.  It’s called Teach Me to Serve: 99 Ways Preschoolers Can learn to Serve and Bless Others.  

Teach Me To Serve: 99 Ways Preschoolers Can Learn to Serve and Bless Others

Besides encouraging them to serve within the household in various ways (home is a good training ground!), there are types of service projects that children can help with, in varying degrees.

• Help with hospitality by helping with food preparation, setting the table, or asking guests what they want to drink
• Write letters or draw pictures for shut-ins, soldiers, or children in the hospital.  (For pediatric oncology patients, consider letting them choose some fun stickers to enclose.)
• Visit at the nursing home or retirement community.  Many of these folks rarely get to see children.  If you sing, they might enjoy some music, too.
• Go Christmas caroling.
• Help prepare goodies and deliver them to the neighbors.
• Older children can rake a neighbor’s yard or shovel a neighbor’s walk.
• Older children can help with small service crafts, like crocheting hats for NICU babies or sewing surgical caps for pediatric patients.  Younger children can watch you do this type of craft, and you can talk about why you’re doing it and pray together for the recipients.
• Choose gifts and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, or help pick out Angel Tree gifts.  (I like to choose recipients of matching sex and similar age as my children, so they feel like they can identify with their giftee.)
• Hand water bottles or hot beverages to linemen and other service workers , especially when they’re working overtime to restore services.
• Help sort items when packing supplies to send for disaster relief.

I’m sure you can think of other ideas, as well.  Little ones don’t necessarily have to do a complete project on their own in order to help.  Most projects that aren’t dangerous for them to participate in will offer some opportunity for them to be involved at least in a small way, if you look for it.

Do you have a favorite service project or organization to work with?  Share it in the comments (and be sure to note if it’s a kid-friendly opportunity)!