Showing posts with label Acts of Kindness. Show all posts

Yesterday, I told you that I was going to give you some things that you could do for your neighbor that cost less than $20.  Well I did better than that.  Here are 10 things that you can do for your neighbor that will cost you less than $5 and doesn’t require any special skills or training:

1. Mow the lawn
2. Clean the gutters
3. Rake the leaves (and bag them)
4. Wash their car
5. Shovel snow from the sidewalk and driveway
6. Take their dog for a walk
7. Bake them some cookies
8. Dog sit (or cat, turtle, rabbit, etc…) while they are on vacation
9. Invite them over for dinner
10. Help them carry the groceries in

I am sure that you could think of a lot more things to add to this list.  It really does take very little money and effort on our part to live a life of significance.  I hope you can put this list to good use.

What can you do for your neighbor today?

Yesterday I had the privilege of dropping off 40 backpacks to the Dunbar Primary Center just a few blocks from our church. The school will have approximately 260 Kindergarten – 2nd grade students attending classes for the 2009-2010 school year. What seems like a little will go a long way for our small community and also for our church. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but there is a high percentage of children in the local school system that are in financial need and these are the type of folks that were close to the heart of Jesus. He was particularly eager to do for others what they could not do for themselves. As it should be with every church in the world.

I am excited to say that my church is making a shift in its priorities to focus more on the practical needs in our community. This is just one simple way that we can make life better for the community in which we live. I am continually praying that we can model the heart of Christ with our neighbors.

What about you? What have you been doing lately that would reflect a servants heart?

Make a list of the needs that you know of in your family, neighborhood, city, state, etc… and then challenge your family or church to do something about it. Just make sure you are willing to work, plan, and implement the plan. The world isn’t short on ideas, only courageous leaders to see them through.

I am sure that you have heard someone use the phrase “It is better to give than to receive.” We often hear these words spoken when a parent or grandparent tries to teach a child making selfish choices that he is choosing a foolish way to live.
I remember spending a Christmas with my friend Scott when we were teenagers. His family was having a gift exchange at his grandmother’s house a few days before Santa’s big day. I have two very fond memories of that day.
1) The grandparents did not expect me to be amongst the guests that evening, therefore, they were surprised when I showed up with the family. At first I was a little embarrassed and a tad uncomfortable. My uneasiness quickly faded away when I realized that the family had sent someone out to the store to make sure I had a couple of gifts when it came time to exchange presents. I felt really good when I opened the present with my name on it, but I could tell that what joy I experienced that evening was little compared to the family as they watched me open the gift and be a part of the family. I received a far better gift than a Christmas present that night as this family loved me.
2) The most remarkable event of the evening was when Scott’s cousin Shane opened a box and immediately began to complain about the jeans that were inside. Shane’s mother came out of nowhere into the circle we had formed; grabbed him by the arm and escorted him from the room giving him a lecture on the way out. I still laugh at the sight of that little woman dragging her son through a crowd of people and stacks of presents.
This is a perfect contrast between those that have learned the truth in this often spoken adage, “It is better to give than receive.” The grandparents in the family would not accept me participating in this family event and being forced to sit and watch everyone delight in opening gifts and having nothing of my own to enjoy.
On the other hand we have a young boy that had been given designer clothes his entire life and up to that point in his life had never learned to give. He had only learned to receive and because of that it built selfishness. Each time he received he thought he deserved better than the time before.
What about you? Is your attitude more of a giving attitude today or a receiving attitude?
Tell me how you have given to others this summer. What small act of kindness have you given someone else?