Random Acts of Kindness

Regent University’s motto and essence is “Christian Leadership to Change the World.” The curriculum touted by the School of Undergraduate Studies challenge students to change the world through the influence of leadership. Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge, offer us an often quoted definition of leadership: “A relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow” (1). While this is fine for describing and analyzing the many facets of leadership in the typical leader-follower dyad; however, there exists another, more simplistic, yet just as powerful type of behavior—random acts of kindness.

According to wikipedia.com, a random act of kindness is “a purportedly selfless act performed by someone to either help or cheer up a stranger, for no reason other than to make people happier. Either spontaneous or planned in advance, random acts of kindness are encouraged by various communities” (2). Random acts of kindness come in many various forms, including monetary gifts, food, clothes, unsolicited favors, and gestures of service. Random acts of kindness are so pervasive, there is even several organizations dedicated to them, one of which is The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, whose mission is to inspire people to practice kindness and to “provide educational and community ideas, guidance, and other resources to kindness participants” (3).

One great aspect of random acts of kindness is that anyone can do them. Anyone young, old, or in between can be kind. Kindess is not a too used by the rich, nor is it a gift reserved only for the poor. Another characteristic is that random acts of kindness can be delivered in almost any situation. Whether you spend your time in an office, in your home, on the beach, or anywhere in between. Even further, random acts of kindness can be done at any time. You don’t have to wait for someone’s birthday, an anniversary, or Christmas. Random acts of kindness can be done by anybody, any where, and at any time.

I did not decide to write this post out of the blue; very recently, I was the recipient of a random act of kindness. A kindred spirit recognized the value of initiating a random act of kindness. While the act was a monetary gift, her blessing and wish was simply to enjoy a meal with my wife. As many of you know, working full-time and taking classes full-time is not an easy balance. Sometimes the people in our lives can feel unappreciated or even neglected. The timing of this gift along with the specific blessing is nothing short of God-inspired.

An interesting thing happened with this random act of kindness. While at first I felt a little funny and unworthy of this person’s generosity, I began to realize that God blesses people in many ways. She was blessed with the joy of the random act, and I will be blessed to spend a nice evening with my wife. Moreover, however, I have a deeper understanding of God’s blessings, and a renewed spirit of my own giving to others. Random acts of kindness are a simple way to share God’s love.

So, have you ever initiated a random act of kindness? If so, how long has it been since you have? If not, why not? Consider initiating a random act of kindness today. Do it for someone you only casually know, or do it for a complete stranger. It does not matter. Help a neighbor mow their lawn, go out of your way to assist a co-worker, or bless a complete stranger with a random act of kindness. If you do, you will not only be a blessing to someone else, but you will assuredly be blessed.

References:
(1) Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2002). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
(2) Wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_act_of_kindness

(3) Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: http://www.actsofkindness.org/

Image: Weinholds.org; http://weinholds.org/images/kindness.gif