Random Acts of Kindness Challenge

Hi everyone,

Have you done a RAK lately? Remember that the thing that seems so small to you may be huge to someone else. A word of encouragement when it is needed the most, a thoughtful card to let them know you care (not really random, but we’ll count it anyway) and even a much needed gift.

Have you noticed that when you give, you in turn receive? You may not always get back in money, though. Sometimes it is a situation that works itself out that seemed impossible to work out. Perhaps it is through the sheer happiness of seeing the joy from the person who received your RAK. Sometimes, your reward will be monetary.

Recently God prompted me to do a RAK that made me really step out of the boat of what I normally do. It wasn’t but a few hours later that a freelance job came through that paid me the exact amount that I’d spent on my RAK. That just shows how amazing God is and how he works things to the good for those who love Him.

So, what have you done for others lately? It’s a good question and one that you might want to answer after you’ve done your RAK for the month.

God bless!

Lori

Okay, folks. I was sitting her thinking today about how much God has blessed me. I have beautiful, healthy daughters, a roof over my head, great and loyal friends and a church family that I love very much. I may not have fortune untold, but then again I probably wouldn’t spend a bunch of money wisely anyway. However, I have so much more than I really need.

That got me to thinking about those around me that I know and how I’m blessed to have them in my life. These are the teachers who take an extra minute to help my child learn something, or the church workers who pour their blood sweat and tears into programs for us members, they are my friends who know just when to call and offer a word of encouragement or the neighbor who goes down the road and cleans out the flower beds at the entrance.

So, in honor of all the saints around us who help others in a million little ways every day, your September challenge is to recognize one of these people. I don’t care who you are, you have one of these saints in your life. They may be a family members, neighbor, co-worker, someone at church, someone who teaches your kids, or even the Subway worker who always gets your sandwich just right and offers a sweet smile.

Take a moment this month to write them a little letter of appreciation or buy a card. You don’t have to do this one anonymously, unless you want to. I think it will mean so much more coming from you personally. If you can afford it, you may want to give them a little gift card or some flowers too. Just watch how this one little act of kindness brightens their day and their outlook on life. I promise you that your act of kindness will have ripple effects that will change those around you. You will inspire others to acts of kindness. You will let the person know they are appreciated and their hard work is noticed.

Then, come back here and add a post, so that the rest of us can get inspired to do the same. I’m still trying to decide who I want to write a letter to. I’ll let you know soon.

When was the last time you completed a Random Act of Kindness? Your challenge for May is help one person without anyone knowing about it (or any more people than absolutely necessary). Pay for the person behind you in the drive-through line, mow a neighbor’s lawn while they are out of town. The key to finding RAOK opportunities is to listen for need. If you listen to others, you will hear what their needs might be and can offer help, preferably anonymously. Then, come back here and post your RAOK’s, so we can all get ideas.

Okay, folks. Time for our Random Act of Kindness. We haven’t done this for a while, so let me refresh everyone’s memory. We basically try to make the world a better place by helping someone in some way. You have to be really observant and creative. It is best if you can do the deed without anyone knowing you did. This means you get no credit for it, but that’s kind of the point. However, sometimes you see a need and there is no way to help anonymously. That is fine. It is better to provide the help that is needed and just tell the person to pass the favor on. That is more pay it forward than ROAK, but that’s okay. It still makes the world happier.

So, your challenge is to do one ROAK during the month of August (you can do more if you want) and post about it here under the comments section 🙂 The one that makes me cry gets a free autographed copy of FINDING MS. RIGHT. (I will email the winner)

Lori

Okay, folks. Here is your Random Act of Kindness Challenge for October. For those of you who are new to my site and my philosophies, this is simply doing something kind for another person (usually a stranger but not always) without any expectation of recognition or return on your investment of time or money. Here are some things my daughters and I have done in the past:

*Planted flowers in a dead flower bed while we knew the neighbor would be gone for the day.

*Left an envelope with 25.00 in the door of a home of a family we knew were struggling for money. It was cash and we put no name on it, but we did write on the envelope that we hoped God blessed them.

*Paid for the car behind us in the drive through of a fast food restaurant (we do this often).

*Sent flowers to a teen neighbor we knew was going through a hard time and signed it anonymously.

The best thing to do is to listen and pay attention and an opportunity will present itself. So here is your challenge.

1) Find one nice thing to do this month, whether it is to pay for the car behind you or doing something for a neighbor. Remember to try not to let them know who did this good deed. Sometimes you have to let them know. In those cases, decline their thanks and tell them to just pay it forward sometime.

2) Compliment at least one person a week. Please be sincere, though. Don’t lie. You can often find something you like about most people. Maybe it is his smile. Maybe the necklace she is wearing. And so on. We try to compliment cashiers at local stores. If I notice the person in front of me giving that person a really hard way to go, I always make an effort in this way. You’ve probably seen it. People can be downright nasty these days. Why not make him/her feel a little better with just a few kind words.

Then, come back here and post our RAOK in the comments area. I am getting a lot of spam in my comments, so I’ve set them to approval only. If you don’t see your comment appear, please email me and I may have to have you post it again and really look for it. I had 75 spam posts today alone. If anyone knows how to stop those, please let me know.

Have fun this month 🙂

Lori