Small

 “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” (Aesop)

You can choose to give an unexpected act of kindness to brighten someone’s day just because you can. You may also choose in a time of challenge (or sorrow) to show empathy to someone because you care about their emotional well-being. There are so many ways being generous can be demonstrated to others. A few of them include giving a compliment, offering a greeting card or gift, or doing an errand or chore for that person.

Have you ever gone out of your way to do something nice for someone, and the response you got over that act of generosity was not quite what you anticipated. (You were disappointed with the receiver’s poor act of thankfulness.) Always remember this logic. What was the original reason you did your act of kindness (in the first place)?

Did it come from a loving, bighearted spirit? If no gratitude was ever offered from the recipient would you have still done the same thing? Your attitude on this is determined by how you answer these questions. Just remember God loves you, knows, and keeps track of all you do to say that you love Him, which happens by serving His creation.

The best way to take yourself out of the above picture, and give all the glory to God is to give anonymously.  It takes a very special individual   to do this. It means possibly never knowing how someone responded to what you did for them. Do you believe this is something you could be successful with, or would it take a change in your thought pattern?

Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: “Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor . . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” Wow, what a powerful quote. If kindness were the way we all operated our lives, there would be a lot of bad stuff in this world that would cease to exist.

So today make a deliberate choice to be a generous person (no matter what the recognition is, or whom it goes to). Just remember, at the end of your day, your heavenly Father knows your motives behind why you do anything in your life. He watches and hears it all. Is your ultimate reason for your generosity to please Him?