As I am a Christian, I approach this the only way I know how - from a Christian perspective. So, though the world events get me down, break my heart, and make me anxious not for myself but for the kind of world my children and grandchildren who have to endure long after I am gone, I know Who wins in the end (pssst, read the book of Revelation.) I know Who was in control yesterday. I know Who is in control today and I know Who will be in control tomorrow and 100,000 tomorrows from now. God is in control. Always has been, always will be. God wins. Love wins. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 3:13) How do you overcome evil (and the world is full of evil evidenced by hate.) "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)
If everyone could just do good things, evil will be conquered! Sounds grand, right? Too grand? Well, for one thing, we know this: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13) Start with one act of kindness every day. You don't have to be a Christian to do this. You can be whatever. We are all human - and that's enough reason to be kind.
To make it even easier, I have come up with a list of 365 Random Acts of Kindness - one for every day of the year. Some involve people you don't know, some involve friends and family, some cost nothing, some cost money, some are what I consider basic considerations that seem to be not so basic these days, some are "don'ts" (because sometimes NOT doing something is an act of kindness in and of itself.) Do a different one every day. Do the same one every day of the year. I don't care. Just, please, start being intentionally kind. Watch the results. I guarantee they will have a positive effect and I guarantee the kindness will spread. Love CAN conquer evil because God is love and God wins.
Here is the list:
365 Random Acts of Kindness:
1. Smile. Seriously. Good moods are contagious.
2. Give someone a hug. (Obviously, use discretion.)
3. Hold the door open for a stranger.
4. Ask someone how they are really doing.
5. Tell someone to have a great day...and mean it.
6. Give someone a compliment.
7. Take a couple of dozen donuts to your local police station.
8. Buy a cup of coffee for a stranger.
9. Pay for the order of the next people behind you in the drive-thru.
10. Walk a dog.
11. Mow your neighbor's lawn.
12. Pick up trash in the street.
13. Say please and thank you to anyone who serves you in any capacity.
14. Take a widow out to dinner.
15. Buy another table's meal in a restaurant.
16. Ask someone how you can pray for them.
17. Pray for people in auto accidents instead of complaining about the traffic.
18. Stop complaining.
19. Watch someone's kids. For free.
20. Be a secret Santa.
21. Run an errand for a harried mom or elderly person.
22. Thank a nurse.
23. Donate clothes to a worthy charity.
24. Have a garage sale and donate the proceeds to a worthy cause.
25. Send a widow flowers on Valentine's Day.
26. Send a "just thinking of you" card (not an e-card!)
27. Call your mom.
28. Tell your best friend that you love them.
29. Shake a police officer's hand.
30. Let someone go ahead of you in line at your local big chain retailer.
31. Donate canned goods to your local food pantry.
32. Tip your server 40%.
33. Send Christmas cards to our military overseas.
34. Check on elderly people who live alone.
35. Take a meal to a foster family who were just blessed with a placement.
36. Be a mentor.
37. Bring a home- cooked meal to your local fire station.
38. Give up two Starbucks a month and commit $10/month to a missionary.
39. Adopt a teacher. A lot of their classroom needs come out of their own pocketbook.
40. Pay a visit to a nursing home and read a book to a resident.
41. Buy extra school supplies and donate to a local church, school or youth center. They will know who needs them.
42. Donate old prescription glasses and cell phones to the Lion's Club.
43. Bite your tongue. Some days our greatest contribution to kindness may be in what we don't say.
44. Shovel a driveway.
45. Bring up a trashcan that's not yours after trash day.
46. Buy a gas card for a college student.
47. Teach Sunday School.
48. Go to church.
49. Pray for your pastor.
50. Attach a coupon to a box of diapers on the store shelf.
51. Bake some brownies for your child's school bus driver.
52. Leave a stack of quarters at the laundromat.
53. Pick up after yourself...home, work, church, school.
54. Don't fight with your brother or sister.
55. Say I'm sorry first.
56. Give someone your full attention.
57. Respect your elders.
58. Respect our military, past and present.
59.. Respect our flag.
60. Unplug.
61. Swallow your pride.
62. Rake some leaves.
63. Do laundry for a new momma.
64. Don't go to work sick.
65. Wave at someone as you're driving.
66. Water your neighbor's plants while they are on vacation.
67. House sit.
68. Donate a pair of your season tickets to a young couple just barely getting by.
69. Bake a batch of cookies for that neighbor you never talk to.
70. Give someone a second chance.
71. Offer an ear without an opinion.
72. Let someone else have that close parking spot.
73. Tell someone in customer service you appreciate them.
74. Let grandma tell that story for the 50th time and laugh like you've never heard it before.
75. Forgive and forget.
76. Extend grace.
77. Give up your seat to anyone who is pregnant or older than you.
78. Give someone the benefit of the doubt.
79. Don't whine.
80. When someone drops something, pick it up for them.
81. Help someone move.
82. Curb that initial negative first impression of someone.
83. Always tip your hairdresser.
84. Ask someone what you can do to make their day better.
85. Donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
86. Donate used books to your local school, church, or a prison.
87. Volunteer for VBS
88. Change someone's car oil.
89. Pick up trash at your local park.
90. Put flowers on a neglected grave.
91. Leave an unwrapped gift and a thank-you note in your mailbox with the flag up.
92. Kill that spider no one else in your house wants to get within 10 feet of.
93. Cut someone some slack.
94. .Save all your change for a month and donate to your favorite charity.
95. Keep "Blessing Bags" in your car and give to people you see who might need it.
96. Don't be afraid to admit when you're wrong.
97. Share your 30% off Kohl's coupon code.
98. Tell someone you haven't seen in awhile that you missed them.
99. Forgive yourself.
100. Refuse to participate in gossip.
101. Stand up for someone.
102. Talk to that one person no one talks to.
103. Grab some nail polish and have a "manicure day" at the senior center.
104. Pull some weeds.
105. Give a cold bottle of water to your UPS delivery man.
106. Volunteer at your local animal shelter.
107. Read to a child.
108. Give that foul ball you caught to a kid.
109. Send a kid to camp.
110. Adopt a stray animal.
111. Take a friend's kids to the movies.
112. Be a Big Brother or a Big Sister.
113. Buy that over-priced bag of Boy Scout popcorn.
114. Register to be an organ donor.
115. Coach a youth sports team.
116. Rock a fussy baby.
117. Let mom sleep in.
118. Make someone breakfast in bed.
119. Praise someone's effort.
120. Recognize dedication.
121. Send an email to your favorite teacher and thank them for all that you learned from them.
122. Get something off the top shelf for someone who is vertically challenged.
123. Carry someone's groceries.
124. Hold the elevator for someone.
125. Let your spouse have the remote.
126. Let another car merge into your lane or exit that crowded parking lot.
127. Thank the movie cleanup crew.
128. Don't honk at that rude driver...Say a prayer for them instead.
129. Bring some chicken noodle soup to someone with a cold.
130. Change that empty toilet paper roll.
131. Treat someone to a massage.
132.. Borrow your parents' car and wash it, vacuum it, and bring it right back home.
133. Let someone win.
134. Be slow to anger.
135. Show mercy.
136. Tell your story...it may be the life raft someone needs.
137. Avoid rants.
138. Share "help wanted" ads and postings.
139. Be a job reference for someone.
140. Bring your hostess a gift.
141. Bring a dish to your Thanksgiving meal.
142. Send a box of chocolates to a widow.
143. Put the toilet seat down. Especially at night. When the bathroom may be dark.
144. Cook dinner.
145. Say Grace.
146. Don't be afraid to talk about your friend's child who is in heaven. That's how their memories are kept alive.
147. Admit that your mom was right...if you don't have anything nice to say, just keep your mouth shut.
148. Clean up a spill, even if you aren't the one who created the spill.
149. Don't speed.
150. Don't drive below the speed limit in the fast lane.
151. Share your umbrella on a rainy day.
152. Invite your neighbor over for coffee.
153. Have an old-fashioned block party.
154. Don't ever let anyone drink and drive.
155. Give $ to that person holding up the "Will work for $" sign (if it's safe to do so.) What they do with that $ is on them, you've done your part.
156. Dance in the rain. Sing off key to your favorite song. You never know whose day you're making by doing so.
157. The next time shoes are BOGO, donate the second pair.
158. Pull out the chair for a lady.
159. Offer to stay with a disabled child so the parents can have some couple time.
160. Go a month without posting something negative on social media.
167. Don't cuss. That's an act of kindness to someone else's ears.
168. Be a gracious winner and an even better loser.
169. Don't take things personally.
170. Powerwash someone's deck.
171. Send a care package to a student during finals week.
172. Always send someone you care about an actual birthday card.
173. Remember your child's teacher at Christmas.
174. If you walk into a restaurant 5 minutes before closing, tip a minimum of 30%.
175. Carry a girl's backpack.
176. Be patient with people who walk slowly. I'm sure they wish their body would allow them to walk faster.
177. Don't be rude.
178. Don't be crude.
179. Be considerate of people with food allergies.
180. Participate in Operation Christmas Child.
181. Sponsor a child through African Vision of Hope.
182. Be a Candy Striper.
183. Donate your deer meat to a local needy family.
184. Sponsor a youth sports team.
185. Chaperone a World Changers youth mission trip.
186. Go on a mission trip.
187. Spend a day working with Habitat for Humanity.
188. Donate that Boy Scout popcorn to food pantry.
189. Tell someone when they have food stuck in their teeth.
190. Tell someone when they have a ghost in their nose ( a little boogie.)
191. Be a driver during D-Now weekends.
192. Always flush.
193. Let a little kid doing the pee-pee dance go ahead of you in the restroom line.
194. Don't use the handicap bathroom stall unless you're handicapped.
195. Scrape the ice off a stranger's car.
196. Scrape the ice off cars in the whole faculty parking lot.
197. Sing Christmas carols in your neighborhood.
198. Pay off someone's layaway at Christmastime.
199. Compliment the cook.
200. Drop some coins into the Salvation Army kettle.
201. Be a Salvation Army bell ringer.
202. Thank a bell ringer.
203. Donate your old DVD's to the library or ship them to military servicemen serving overseas.
204. Lend your hubby out for household repairs of a military wife or a widow.
205. Invite a military wife (and kids) over to dinner.
206. Tell a stranger they have a beautiful smile.
207. Pick up sticks in your neighbor's yard after a storm.
208. Hand out Bibles.
209. If you're sitting next to a fussy baby on an airplane, offer to help the mom out with the baby.
210. If you're on a long plane ride and you snore, bring earplugs for those around you.
211. Invite people out of your circle over to your pool.
212. Don't have a "circle" of friends so closed off that others can't join.
213. Join the servers in singing "Happy Birthday" to a fellow diner.
214. Donate your old coats to "Warm up St. Louis."
215. Donate your old blankets to the same.
216. Teach a child how to play a musical instrument.
217. Teach someone how to sew, knit, or crochet.
218. Teach someone how to drive a stick shift.
219. Teach a teenager how to change the oil in their car.
220. Pump someone's gas for them especially in the rain, heat, or cold.
221. Give respite to a caretaker.
222. Bring snacks or takeout to the family of a hospital patient while they are visiting or staying with the patient.
223. Donate the electronics and board games your kids have outgrown to a family in need.
224. Review a friend's resume.
225. Donate your old business suits to a women's advocacy group or women's shelter.
226. Donate old prom dresses to a family fostering a teen girl.
227. Put the phone/camera down and stand up for someone being bullied.
228. Be the first to say "hi" to the new kid in class.
229. Invite the new kid to sit at your lunch table.
230. Don't stare at "different."
231. Don't ask questions you yourself don't want to be asked.
232. Don't ask questions whose answers aren't any of your business.
233. Make May Day baskets (or treat-filled cups) and put on your friend's doorsteps.
234. Donate plastic Easter eggs to your local church.
235. Help stuff plastic Easter eggs at your local church.
236. Buy a Vet a meal on Veteran's Day.
237. Know the difference between Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, and Armed Forces Day.
238. Help set up flags for any of the above days.
239. Help fold flags after any of the above days.
240. Donate new or gently-loved stuffed animals to children's hospitals or foster care closets.
241. Call your local DCFS office and see what they might need for foster children.
242. Send care packages to our military deployed overseas.
243. Volunteer in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving day.
244. Don't fart at the kitchen table.
245. Turn your clothes right side out before putting your clothes in the dirty laundry.
246. Check your pockets after turning said clothes right side out.
247. Text your parents when you arrive safely at your destination and prior to leaving for your return home.
248. Tell your spouse or S/O you appreciate them.
249. Write your spouse or S/O a love letter telling them everything you love about them.
250. Make your kids a scrapbook.
251. Put your phone away during meals.
252. Put a card or note in your kid's lunch or backpack.
253. Tuck your kids in at night.
254. Respect people in authority...your parents, your friends' parents, teachers, pastors, law enforcement officers, your boss, and all military personnel.
255. Don't tailgate.
256. Send sympathy cards.
257. Bring your spouse or S/O flowers for no reason.
258. Wipe your feet or take your shoes off before entering someone's house.
259. Don't keep score of wrongs.
260. Never assume a lady is pregnant.
261. If you're a hair stylist, offer your services free of charge and make a house call to a new momma or a very pregnant momma-to-be.
262. Donate to a random but worthy GoFundMe campaign.
263. Buy a poinsettia from a charity and take it to a nursing home.
264. Buy a lemonade from a lemonade stand.
265. Help a child set up a lemonade stand. Donate the profits to a charity.
266. Plant a tree in someone's memory.
267. Practice "catch and release."
268. If it's safe to do so, help a turtle cross the road.
269. Let someone else have the last piece of pie.
270. Find out if your kid's school has a Teacher Appreciation meal. If they do, offer to bring a covered dish. If they don't, organize one.
271. Take the trash out for your dad.
272. Don't use all the hot water.
273. Buy 10 scratch off lottery tickets and hand them out to 10 random people.
274. Don't buy a pet. Adopt.
275. Praise your child for at least one thing every day.
276. Bake old-fashioned sugar cookies with your children at Christmas.
277. Let your children decorate the sugar cookies.
278. Resist the urge to "fix" the decorating job they did on the cookies.
279. Arrange a potluck luncheon to thank your church staff.
280. Leave your stinky shoes outside.
281. Thank a janitor.
282. Throw a party and ask your guests to bring canned goods and donate to your local food pantry or a family in need.
283. Donate your old car.
284. Bring neighborhood children to church with you.
285. Have a Mother-Son date or a Father-Daughter date.
286. Continue to date your spouse after the vows are exchanged.
287. Know the difference between discipline and punishment.
288. Don't be afraid to put yourself in time-out.
289. Treat your mom to a pedicure.
290. Volunteer at a charitable 5k run.
291. Run in a charitable 5k.
292. If adopting a child isn't for you, help a family who has adopted or is in the process of adopting a child.
293. Remove the word "retard" from your vocabulary.
294. As a matter of fact, just don't name call at all.
295. Remember that just because someone invites you to an argument, you don't have to accept that invitation.
296. Keep your word.
297. Learn to say "no" so that you can keep your word on previous "yeses."
298. Feed some ducks.
299. Put out a bird feeder.
300. Hire an unemployed friend to clean your house.
301. Stop a friend from doing something that starts with "Hey watch this."
302. Pray for this country.
303. Pray for this next election.
304. Be an encourager, not a discourager.
305. Be the reason someone gets out of bed in the morning.
306. Be the reason someone can't wait to get off work.
307. Don't interrupt.
308. Realize you don't have to agree with someone's opinion, but you should respect it as long as it's not illegal or immoral.
309. Validate someone.
310. Don't take anyone for granted.
311. Push the elevator button for someone with their arms full.
312. Make your husband his favorite dinner and dessert for no reason.
313. Deliver some firewood to a widow.
314. Tell someone when they have toilet paper stuck to their shoe.
315. Don't let someone unwittingly walk around with their fly open.
316. Use the family restroom at Target if their policy makes you uncomfortable.
317. Spay and neuter your pets.
318. Let your kid's coach do his job. He doesn't tell you how to parent, don't tell him how to coach.
319. Take up a collection at the end of the season and buy your kid's coach a thank-you gift.
320. Buy his wife one too. The time he spends with your kids is time away from her and their kids.
321. Toss a baseball or football around with the single mom's son.
322. Take a kid fishing.
323. Go to DQ and donate a dollar to Children's Miracle Network.
324. Act like a Boy Scout and help an elderly lady cross the road.
325. Take some blue painter's tape and put a "thin blue line" down the side of your mailbox.
326. Text a friend in the morning just to say "Have a great day."
327. Stop what you're doing when your spouse or S/O gets home and greet them with a big hug and kiss.
328. Laugh. It truly is contagious.
329. Buy some bubbles and frisbees and hand out to kids at the park.
330. Take advantage of the Amazon Smile program every time you shop at Amazon.
331. Hand out coloring books and crayons to patients in children's hospitals.
332. Let your mom take a nap and only wake her if you see blood or flames.
333. Hand out full-size candy bars at Halloween.
334. Take more pictures of loved ones than you do of yourself.
335. Give a single rose to a random stranger.
336. Waiting for a haircut? Tell a person who is getting ready to leave that their new ' do looks great.
337. Send someone a life in Candy Crush.
338. DON'T invite friends to play Candy Crush.
339. Forget about dressing your kids up as Super Heroes at Halloween. Dress them up as true heroes...police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, EMT's, and teachers.
340. Spay and neuter your pets.
341. Remember the true meaning of Christmas...especially on Black Friday.
342. Set up a "Take Them a Meal" schedule for someone who has just had surgery, had a baby, experienced a loss, going through chemo, etc.
343. Wash your hands before holding any baby under two months old.
344. Be the friend people can always count on.
345. Be on time.
346. Be someone a child can look up to.
347. Don't forget about your hotel maids. Tip.
348. Support breastfeeding in public. It's a beautiful thing.
349. Don't shame mothers who choose not to breastfeed.
350. Don't shame anyone.
351. Invest time, not money, in kids.
352. Bring Jolly Ranchers to church. Kids love them.
353. Let your kids splash in the mud puddles.
354. Cut the grass for your dad.
355. Pick up someone's lunch tray for them. And don't charge for it...Logan. ;)
356. Put more quarters in a parking meter that's about to expire.
357. Be a prayer warrior.
358. Don't send group texts.
359. Whether you are Christian or not, live by the motto "I Am Second."
360. Realize that putting yourself second doesn't mean you don't owe yourself some kindness. Take that nap. Let the laundry stay dirty til the next morning. Binge on Netflix. But most importantly, let the guilt go.
361. Forgive others.
362. Forgive yourself. Again.
363. Realize we were ALL created in God's image.
364. We love because He first loved us. And "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Accept the greatest gift ever...Jesus Christ.
365. How do we show love? This way: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7New International Version (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
