One Act of Kindness

A babe in a manger… in a darkened and chaotic world, a world in which there was political unrest, financial challenges, divisiveness between castes and nations – not unlike the world today. What difference could a babe make?

What difference can your kindness to a stranger make, or your anonymous dollar in the charitable donation pot? How does your willingness to be happy regardless of what the world is doing around you shine a light upon this earth? What difference can you – a single person - make in this great big, very chaotic world?

Perhaps like the babe in the manger, maybe all the difference in the world.

You open a door and help someone. For a moment they feel loved. You donate a can to a soup kitchen and feed a homeless person for a day. You let someone get ahead of you in traffic with a prayer and a blessing for all. What difference can these seemingly “tiny” acts of love possibly make?

Ask yourself this question: What if you were the one standing in front of a door, with your arms full, or simply having a hard time getting it open, when someone with a warm, loving smile came rushing over to open it for you. What difference would that make in your day, in your heart, and in your life?

What if you were cold and starving and someone you’d never met gave you a warm meal? What difference would that make in your day, your heart, and your life?

What if you were rushing to get somewhere, perhaps not driving as patiently as you normally would and someone waved you forward in front of them with a big smile. What difference would that make?

You know from your own experience that when someone is kind and loving towards you, it does make a difference. It might be the difference between creating a vibrational mess or having your day flow smoothly. It might be the difference between eating a meal or stealing a meal. It might be the difference between arriving at your destination on time or having a traffic accident.

Beyond the initial impact of your kindness, all those affected by the ripple effect must be taken into account as well. You didn’t have an accident and back up traffic for miles. You didn’t steal and cause a police officer to investigate, thus preventing them from stopping a murder. You had a smoothly flowing day and blessed others who were down and in need of love.

One simple, tiny, act of kindness makes all the difference in the world to those whose lives it has affected. One act of kindness can stop a suicide. One act of kindness can stop recklessness that can change a whole life. One act of kindness can be passed on and on and on… and one act of kindness sends a vibrational wave of love rippling out into a world in need.

At the holidays and in all seasons, remember that even the tiniest acts of love can be a massive and brilliant contribution. Your prayer for all in need might be the warm energy that comforts a single mother who is praying for strength. Your prayer for world leaders might be the one current of energy that touches their hearts and makes them hold back on starting a war. You don’t see the results of your prayers, your small acts of kindness, or your emanations of light, but there are huge and beautiful effects from every act of love.

Don’t underestimate your value upon this earth. Never underestimate your power to do good, to sway the balance of energies towards the light, and in so doing to feel the Love that you are flowing to you, through you, and within you. With every act of love and kindness, you are that tiny babe in the manger, and the light of the Divine here upon your earth. Peace be with you.