Through the Eyes of Kindness

I came across an article online where a woman recounted an interaction she had. 

I saw a dress in a consignment shop that I knew my granddaughter would love.  But money was tight so I asked the store owner if she could hold it for me.  “May I buy the dress for you?”  asked another customer.  “Thank you, but I can’t accept such a gracious gift,” I said.  Then she told me why it was so important for her to help me.  She’d been homeless for three years, she said, and had it not been for the kindness of strangers, she would not have been able to survive.  “I’m no longer homeless, and my situation has improved,” she said.  “I promised myself that I would repay the kindness so many have shown me.”  She paid for the dress, and the only payment she would accept was a heartfelt hug.

As we can see in the story above, acting in kindness is sparked by gratitude.  The other day a young man gave me a drink.  It was a simple thing that made me smile and still makes me grateful when I think about it.  Kindness doesn’t require grand gestures.  Mother Teresa said, “Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

Having kindness in our eyes is no small thing.  It changes the way we see people.  We can see our own brokenness in people and recognize their need for kindness is our own need for kindness.  From that perspective the stranger, the foreigner, the outsider becomes more than who we saw before.  They become us.

Luke 6:31 says, “Treat others as you want them to treat you.”  I invite you to pray this prayer.

Lord, please let me see others the way you see me.  Help me step out of my comfort zone and give the same kindness that you and others have shown to me.

-Mitzi Myers