There are people who are intrinsically kind. Being kind seems to be their basic disposition. I’ve been blessed to encounter such people. I guess it could be said they are kind to me because they are kind to everyone. Yet when receiving their kindness, I feel special. And there are random acts of kindness. Anyone can “commit” such acts (and we all would do well to do so more often). Some acts may seem small in the greater scheme of things, but when offered they are significant to the recipient.
I think there is a difference between being nice and being kind. Being nice is, needless to say, commendable. Yet it may be that when we are nice, we are externally motivated, at least to some extent, while the motivation to be kind is completely internal.
When I think of kind people, my grandmother, Mama D, and my Aunt Edith, her eldest daughter, come immediately to mind. They were genuinely kind. I enjoyed being around other relatives, of course, but with them, there was a connection on a more personal level. And through that connection, they helped me feel valued.
There was a professor in my theological school, Dr. John Scammon. Before I’d met him, an upperclassman said the way to recognize him was to “look for someone who looks like an angel.” His kind spirit was evident in his appearance. He was a scholar, as is to be expected, but also a warm individual — with a great sense of humor. He seemingly never had anything bad to say about anyone or anything.
Another faculty member, perhaps his best friend, once said to him, “John, I think even if you ended up in Hell, you’d find something good to say.” After a moment’s pause, Dr. Scammon smiled and replied, “Yes, I’d say, Mr. Devil, you certainly have a good heating system.”
A small random act of kindness I once experienced occurred years ago when I was getting a Subway sandwich. After making my sandwich, the manager reached for a chocolate-chip cookie as he was ringing up the order. “I didn’t order a cookie,” I protested. “I know. I want to give it to you.” That’s all he said. No pressure to buy something else. It wasn’t a big deal, but it made me feel good and has stuck in my memory.
A (seemingly) more significant kind act was offered when I was in college and was driving with a friend to his home in Georgia for Thanksgiving. Somewhere in South Carolina, I had a flat tire, with no useable spare and limited funds. We coasted into a truck stop. The tire couldn’t be repaired.
A man working there told us that if we’d wait till his shift was over, he’d replace it with a used-but-usable tire he had in the trunk of his car. He’d give it to me, and because he would be off the clock, there would be no labor charge.
We were college students from Chapel Hill, NC. He was someone that might qualify as a “red neck.” It was a kindness I hope I have offered someone else some time since.
