Sometimes the smallest acts of love and kindness can change the world.
History tends to record the big moments: victories in battle, inspiring speeches, monumental shifts in nations and cultures. Yet many of the things that deeply affect our lives go undocumented in the history books: showing kindness to someone in need, offering a helping hand, sharing the grief of loss with someone who is mourning.
For those of you who followed “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” movies, you may recall the words of the wizard Gandalf: Some believe “it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I’ve found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.”
In our community and neighborhoods, these small acts of kindness and love can take various forms. Perhaps it is bringing a few meals to a couple who just had their first (or fifth!) child; maybe it is lending a hand to a new neighbor moving in across the street; or it could be quietly sitting with someone in their grief over a family member who recently passed away. If we have eyes to see, there are likely dozens of such opportunities for small acts of kindness each day.
There is a special grace in bearing the burdens of life with others. St. Paul encouraged his fellow believers to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” As Christians, we look to Jesus himself, who bore the burden of the whole world on his shoulders on the cross. The reason was simple: love. Always love.
The 2017 film “Wonder” tells the story of a young boy with facial abnormalities caused by a rare genetic condition. When he goes to public school for the first time, he experiences stares, whispers and bullying. The turning point comes when a classmate makes the seemingly simple decision to sit with him at lunch. What appears to be a rather unremarkable event turns out to be life-changing for both boys and, indeed, for the culture of the entire student body.
To varying degrees, we’ve all been there: those painful moments when we feel like an outsider, alone, uncertain of our place. Who would have thought sitting with someone at lunch could change a life?
In our day and age, we are encouraged to have an opinion about every headline, political event and controversy. A lot of mental energy is spent, and a lot of (digital!) ink is spilled, to ensure that others know our position. It does make one wonder what carries more value and makes a greater impact: countless opinions shared online or a single act of kindness? As Henrik Ibsen is credited with saying, “A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.”
In the end, the world isn’t changed against a backdrop of trumpets and fanfare. The world is transformed by sitting with an outcast at lunch, visiting the sick, clothing the naked, comforting the lonely and grieving, and feeding the hungry. Through simple, everyday acts such as these, lives are changed, heavy burdens are shared and the darkness is kept at bay.
Thank you for stopping by The Deacon’s Desk.
(Deacon Justin is an ordained deacon of the Orthodox Church in America serving at St Anne parish in Corvallis. He can be reached at brent.kaseman@gmail.com).
