Kindness and blessings

What random act of kindness have you experienced lately?

How did it make you feel?

These responses from readers of The Christian Chronicle have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity:

“While I was delivering mail, one of my customers pulled up in her car next to me and said, ‘What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?’ I asked back, “Oh, are you selling cookies?’ She responded, ‘I want to give you a box.’ It made my day, not just because I like cookies but because it made me feel appreciated.” — Terry Laudett, Tulsa, Okla.

Related: Random acts of kindness

“On a road trip to see my father, who is suffering from dementia, we left early and stopped at a fast food restaurant to get breakfast. Ordering breakfast for three adults is not cheap. But the car in front of us paid for our meal, and they have no idea how much it meant.” — Teresa Kerr Lewis, Weleetka, Okla.

“Deborah Kelly, a lady in our congregation, writes notes of encouragement. I have been the recipient of those notes on many occasions. I just received one recently from her. I told her, ‘I keep all of them, and I look at them when I have moments of discouragement.’” — Ross Mitchell, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

“I recently received a card from one of our members stating how thankful they were that my wife, Libby, and I had moved here. Notes of encouragement like this are not atypical, but are always special. I keep every one of the cards and notes I receive in a box that I have dubbed my ‘Barnabas Box.’ Whenever I’m going through a valley in ministry, I pull out my Barnabas Box and read through some of the letters, and it lifts me up and refreshes my passion.” — Chris McCurley, Dickson, Tenn. 

“A young man purchased my fountain drink at the gas station. We didn’t know each other, and I said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that,’ but he commented that he had won some money from lottery scratch-off tickets and wanted to. I thought it was very kind.” — Kirsten Ping Kraft, Lebanon, Ind.

“Unable to find an item in the dairy section at Target, we asked a nearby worker named Dexter if he had any insight. He went back to inventory and searched but later returned and apologized that the item was on back order. He promised to save us two of the products and call us when they arrived. While we paid, my wife, Michele, mentioned to the store manager how much we appreciate Dexter’s due diligence. As we exited the store, we heard the manager on the PA system say, ‘We thank valued customer Michele Woodhouse, who brought to my attention the great service provided by valued employee Dexter Wright. Target is better because of both of you!” — Eddie Woodhouse, Asheville, N.C.

“I recently went to visit my parents, who are getting older and struggling with some health issues. My parents live in rural East Texas, but there is a Scooter’s Coffee drive-thru there, which makes it easier to get that little pick-me-up for the three-hour drive back home. I made my order, and when I pulled up to pay, the lady in front of me had already paid for my coffee. I have no idea who she was, but I am thankful for her.” — Paul Cartwright, Fulshear, Texas

A person holds a red heart in front of a sunset. A random act of kindness can make someone’s day.

“My son-in-law is a great cook. He recently gave me a small carafe used to spray oil. He said he had one and really liked it. It wasn’t a gift-giving occasion. He just ordered one for me. He’s a man of few words, but a kitchen gift is a really thoughtful thing coming from him. It made me feel like he thinks I’m a good cook, too!” — Cheryl Mann Bacon, Abilene, Texas

“We live in an apartment on the seventh floor. Rarely are packages addressed to us delivered to our door. The apartment building has a package room on the first floor, or sometimes packages are just left on the first floor by the mailboxes. Our next-door neighbor, Greg, one of the nicest young men you will ever meet, is always looking out for us. Just the other day, as is his custom, he brought our packages up to us. We are so grateful for his acts of kindness.” — Bill Robinson, New York City

“At the self-checkout at Kroger, I put everything in the bag and began the process to pay. While I was reaching for my wallet, someone immediately walked up from behind me and tapped their credit card at the register and paid for my bag of groceries. I turned around and recognized the person as a friend and brother in Christ from another congregation in town. We had a good but very short conversation … which included a thank you, mutual encouragement and affirmations to be the people of God who are faithful, joyful, kind and generous. We promised to pray for each other’s walk in Christ and our families.” — Randy Todd, Arlington, Texas

“A colleague in my franchising work wrote a whole LinkedIn post about how I had helped him. He went into great detail and publicly honored me with this post for something I felt was common but he thought was amazing. How did it make me feel? Humbled, honored, inspired to do it again!” — Shannon Wilburn, Tulsa, Okla.

WANT TO SHARE your own experience with a random act of kindness? Email l[email protected].

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