If you are connected to a social media outlet in any way at all you have more then likely read this quote, or a variation of it. You may have come across it in a magazine or another form of the written word. I would guess that most anyone who can read well has to have at one time or another stumbled across this quote. If you have not, and you are reading this blog, you now are familiar with this quote.
We all have at least one person in our lives that fit this to perfection. The issue is that we may not realize who that individual is in our circle, or what they mean to us. I know who at least six of these individuals are in my life, but I am sure there are many more. Not knowing who yours is, is not a selfish act at all. Knowing who this person is to you and not recognizing what they bring into your life IS a selfish act. Even then it does not mean you do not love this person, or appreciate this person. My personal opinion is that you take things for granted. You have an expectation that lives inside yourself that the things given to you, or the things done for you, are someone else's responsibility.
Stop and think about five things you have in your life that someone else has provided for you. Things that exist in your life because someone else has brought them to you. Give this some thought, choosing those things carefully and try to avoid things you need and focus on five things you wanted. While both needs and wants are things we have in our lives, the wants are the things that will help you understand this lesson in gratitude.
Here is my initial list in this lesson:
My vehicle: Given to me by my brother with the help from one of our very dear friends.
My skates: Given to me by my Misfit sister-by-law.
My hockey sticks: Given to me by a friend who knew at the time I could not afford them.
My journal safe: Given to me by my dad to protect them from harm.
My guitar: Given to me by two very close friends who knew what strumming meant to me.
None of which I needed, all of which I wanted, all provided to me by others who reached into their own financial pockets to provide me with things I could live without but made my life a little better. None of those givers are takers and they expected nothing in return. They simply faced battles for me so I would not have to battle through life with things that I wanted. These the same people in my life who provide me with the things I need. These are the same people who quite honestly I feel fit the above quote. These are the same people who provide the needs and wants for everyone in their lives they love without fault. They are unselfish, they are kind, they love unconditionally, they care deeply about their daughters, their sons, their family, their friends, and even the strangers they see in need. They ask for nothing in return, and often get just exactly that.
Think about who those people are in your life. What do you do for them that is unexpected, random? Do you thank them and feel that is enough? Do you overlook the thank you because you have become so used to what they sacrifice for you that you often do not see it, or worse, expect it, from them? Do you ever just sit outside their door at night, with your back against it, and listen to hear their pain? Hear the sniffles of the tears they never let you see fall? Do you ever take time to just observe them through the day? See the beat of their heart in the actions they take to help others? Witness their behavior as they move through their day helping others achieve their goals and their dreams, setting their own to the side?
I encourage and urge you to find those people in your life who provide you with an unconditional love so great you will never have to worry about your needs or your wants again. Provide them with the most random acts of kindness you can think of. Be careful in how you choose those random acts of kindness, remembering that chores are not random. Random is something unexpected that tells someone through a kind action that you know you are loved unconditionally. That you know the difference between needs and wants and that the wants in your life are appreciated. A random act of kindness is something you do to make someone else feel thought of. Think about things that make your heart happy when someone does something for you completely unexpected with no expectation of getting something in return. The best random acts of kindness are free. Little notes left in places only they have access to. Sharing a funny moment of your day with someone because you know they will enjoy the story and laugh with you. A hug for no reason at all. A homemade greeting card for no reason at all. Drawing a picture and taping it to the door they exit through first thing in the morning.
My personal goal each day is to make someone smile. To give their heart a little tap that lets them know they are loved. Family, friends, strangers ... it really makes no difference when I reach out to let someone know that someone cares. It's not just the kind thing to do, it's the Christian thing to do. I have always been the guy that stood up for the kid getting picked on because he's different than others. I know that makes me a bully's bully and I always try to use words of reason before I lash out with anger and lecture a bully on the etiquette of kindness and accepting others for who they are and not who we would like them to be.
I also try not to forget about those that cry silently behind doors when their hearts feel forgotten. I try to remember that the gentlest tap on someone heart can remind them that they are loved and appreciated. Those whose unconditional love provide me with the things I need in life and support me with the things I want, even when I do not expect for, or ask for, them. Giving back to those that give with no expectation of anything in return is rewarding to my heart and hopefully makes their hearts feel a steady rhythm of being loved in return.
Thinking further into this lesson of random acts of kindness to repay those with hearts of gold that silently suffer alone when no one seems to appreciate what is given to them I find myself thinking about God. I realize that God provides me with everything I need when I place my life in his hands. It is because of Him that I have in my life the people I need to walk my journey on earth with. It is Him who has given me the people in my life that support not just my needs, but my wants as well. It is God that has placed these unselfish people in my life and it is God who is pleased when I gave back unselfishly to those that unselfishly give to me. It is not just the givers hearts I am tapping in the world when I acknowledge what they mean to me in my walk on earth. I am also tapping God's heart and acknowledging to him that I am thankful for all He has given me.
Today, make it a point to tap the heart of someone who gives you so much that you often times fail to realize it has been given to you. Show someone today that you understand the positive difference they make in your life when it comes to the things you want. Give back to those that give and expect nothing in return. Perform an unexpected act of kindness today and perhaps you will prevent one door from being closed so someone else can hide their tears because their heart feels unloved.
Today it is not about you, it is about those that make you who you are. It is not about what you need, those things are already provided. It is not about what you want, because there is that one person in your life that makes sure you have them. Today is about the person that gives and gets nothing in return. Today is about tapping that heart and making it skip a beat because you gave in return.
