Volume 38, No. 5
The Power of a Kind Gesture - “Again and again, we are impressed with the fact that little things can make big differences. A little act of kindness at a moment of great need makes all the difference between sunshine and shadows. A smile at the right moment may make an intolerable burden lighter. Just a note bearing a message of simple interest or concern or affection may give to another the radically needed assurance. A simple ‘Thank you’ has softened many a hard situation or punctured the crust of many a ‘hard-boiled’ person. There is always a place for the graceful gesture, the thoughtful remark, the sensitive response.” - Howard Thurman, Deep is the Hunger, p. 117
In our Lenten book study this morning, we discussed this short essay by Howard Thurman and reflected on small acts of kindness that make significant impacts. One woman shared about a church member who wrote her a note every week just to let her know he was thinking about her. Another shared how much a recent heartfelt thank you note meant, and another talked about the smile the grocery clerk gives her that always eases her day. It can be so easy for us to forget how far kindness can extend. Little things often make big differences.
Do not underestimate the power of a kind gesture. These things make all the difference between “sunshine and shadows.” So may you go into the world and make intolerable burdens lighter.
All my love,
Pastor Victoria