Nine Simple, Practical Ways to Spread Kindness Today
Be kind, rewind. Are you old enough to remember that phrase? :-)
Any time you rented a VHS tape from Blockbuster Video (which is what every family did for weekend entertainment in the 1970s, ‘80s, and into the late ‘90s), you would find those instructions on the movie.
I always thought Blockbuster hit the nail on the head with that. In fact, the principle is biblical: Instead of only thinking of yourself, you’re keeping in mind the person after you - a complete stranger you’ll never meet.
Matthew 7:12 says to “Treat people the same way you want them to treat you.” We often refer to this little creed as the Golden Rule.
In our VHS tape scenario, this means that if you know you would like to find the video rewound and ready to play, you should leave it the same for the next renter!
Although the option to rewind Blockbuster movies is long gone, there are many other ways to spread kindness in our communities and the world today. Here are nine easy ways you and I can live out the Golden Rule daily.
Smile, say hi, and thank you. Simple, right? Sad to say, courtesy, manners, and respect seem not to be frequently taught anymore, and each new generation is just becoming more self-absorbed.
By consistently trying to be kind and polite to the people around us, maintaining eye contact (rather than staring at our phones), and verbally showing appreciation, we can stand out in a positive manner. Who knows, maybe we can even set an example for others to follow.
Be courteous in traffic. So often, we’re in a hurry when driving our cars, and it’s easy to take our stress out on people in other vehicles, strangers we don’t usually even see the faces of. By making an effort to do the opposite - namely, being considerate towards those with whom we share the road - we can spread kindness any time we get behind the wheel.
Hold the door open for somebody. When you notice a person behind you while entering or exiting a public building (the store, the gym, the hospital, the bank, your kids’ school), stand there and hold the door open for them. It’s especially effective if they’re several steps behind you, so you actually have to inconvenience yourself by waiting for them to catch up with you! Trust me, they’ll take notice.
This is one way I regularly practice kindness, and not only with old ladies. The person almost always responds with a smile and a surprised “thank you.”
Spread kindness on social media. Hiding behind our avatars, we enjoy anonymity, and this can make us less careful about what we say. (Besides, who doesn’t know how easy it is to misunderstand others’ intentions when words are written rather than spoken?) But words of kindness are as important online as elsewhere.
Not only should we be mindful not to be curt or critical or to argue or react, but we can try to deliberately lift others up! With the comments we leave, we can complement and celebrate fellow humans, whether we know them well or not.
Let someone ahead of you in line. Yet another simple but powerful way to spread kindness. Giving preference to a random stranger in the checkout line - or any other line, for that matter - helps us practice patience, humility, and selflessness. It doesn’t come naturally to our flesh, but it’s oh-so-good for the soul!
Be nice when on the phone with customer service. We may be tempted to take our bad day out on the customer service rep on the other end of the phone line when he or she isn’t meeting our expectations. They’re merely a voice, someone we’ll never personally meet or probably even have to deal with again.
A woman of noble character, however, is able to keep her cool with ignorant, unyielding, or otherwise irritating customer service agents and tries to spread kindness in their world as well.
Leave a positive review. People tend to leave reviews when angry and wanting to complain. How about writing one that shows appreciation? By thanking someone for a job well done, you’ll be sure to make their day a little brighter. Especially if it’s a public review that their manager is going to see!
Treat your subservients well. I’ve heard it said that how you treat the people who wait on you (the valet parking guy, the hotel housekeeper, the flight attendant, the barista, the restaurant server) says heaps about your character. I think there’s truth to that.
Be friendly, respectful, and patient (even if they’re not). Don’t complain about the tiniest thing or make unreasonable demands. Finally, leave them a generous tip with a Christian tract. They just might see the connection.
Genuinely compliment a stranger. This is a fun way to spread kindness. It breaks the ice and helps build rapport. It also makes it easier to share the Gospel with the person later in the conversation if that’s your goal.
If someone has a charming accent, a stylish haircut, a cute baby, or a well-behaved dog, tell them. If they’re an attentive driver, a thoughtful friend, an excellent dancer, an efficient leader, or a fantastic cook, tell them. As long as your compliment is genuine, I can almost promise that your words will have the desired effect.
So there you have it: nine simple ways to spread kindness to strangers. There are countless others, and we’ll cover some more in a future article.
In divisive, contentious times like ours, people are naturally starved for authentic human connection. Maybe more so than ever. Everyone is desperate to know that somebody out there cares.
This is where you and I have an opportunity to shine our light as we practice kindness. And as our attitude, words, and actions testify to God’s life-changing love, He is glorified (Matthew 5:16), and we are blessed to be a vessel in His hands.
L.B.
Which of the nine action points above will you choose to get started with? Or will you maybe come up with your own? How, specifically, are you going to spread kindness today? Please share in the comments below!
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