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Listen:
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
—ISAIAH 40:30-31 (NIV)
Reflect:
You may have heard of Nicholas Kristof, he is a real-life, honest to goodness Tigger! (You know Winnie-the-Pooh’s irrepressibly springy and bouncy tiger friend named Tigger). Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof is someone who has boundless, hard-won optimism, despite all the tragedy, devastation, and genocide he has born witness to. “Any one of us has the capacity to make a difference.” he told me. “It doesn’t solve the global problem, but it’s transformative for some people, somewhere.” Look him up, he’s impressive!
So, start with one small act of kindness, and then two or three more. It all adds up.
What small hope is rising in you about the one small difference you can make?
Blessing:
Blessed are the noticers.
The ones who see the full story.
Blessed are the attenders.
The witness-bearers.
The story-holders.
The ones who tiptoe to the edge with us,
knowing that it will break their heart, too.
Choosing us anyway.
Blessed are those who are amazed by a life lived in its fragility, in its brevity, in its beauty.
Blessed are those who say: “BEHOLD.”
Behold, this is their love.
Behold, this is their annoying habit.
Behold, these are the people they loved and know so much about they could clear or implicate in a crime.
Behold, these are their exes,
their favorite karaoke songs, their fast-food orders.
Behold, they’re not a problem to be solved.
This is a person to be loved.
This is a miracle with a name.
And how lucky are we?
These people.
These loves.
These precious, precious, precious
small acts of kindness that change the world.
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