Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
One of the simplest and purest things you can do is to smile at a stranger. The amount of stories I have listened to or read about someone's life being saved due to a small gesture like this is mind-boggling. The amount of times my day was made and flipped upside down due to a stranger smiling, complimenting, or even saying a small phrase like, "Have a great day!" is just as uncountable. I cannot express how much the world needs more of these encounters. It is such a humane act.
This past Wednesday, I had a pretty rough day. Nothing was going right, I was down in the dumps, and I was way too hard on myself. You ever have those days where you wake up and you are just like, "Today is not going to be my day," well, that is exactly how my morning started. I preach on this site about how you need to switch the narrative and turn your day into something worth living, but I am still human, and I do have my moments. Wednesday was definitely one of those moments. I was at work, probably thirty minutes into my shift, emptying fish into their designated tanks (I work at a pet store, I probably should specify that). An older man came over to me, talking about the fish he has, and educating me on all the different kinds in our tanks. Now, was I in the mood to talk about fish, in which I have no knowledge about? No. I wanted to be in my bed, watch a movie or two, and drown myself in my misery (okay, I am being a tad dramatic, but like I said, I was not feeling it). However, I put a smile on my face, listened to his interests, and included my inputs into the conversation. We talked about fish for about five minutes, and then he started asking me personal questions. Where I went to college, what I was majoring in, how long I worked for the company, anything you could think of, this elderly man asked. I answered everything, and you could tell he genuinely cared. He was smiling, nodding, telling me he is proud and wishing me the best of luck. Right before he went to check out, he looked at me and goes, "I can tell you are nice. You have such a sweet aura about you. You will form many genuine relationships in your life. You probably already have." When I tell you that made my entire week, I mean it. It is almost as if he could sense I was upset, and God told him exactly what I needed to hear. The overwhelming sense of relief that coursed through my body was so pure. I thanked him, and then proceeded to watch him walk out of the store, not purchasing a single item. This man came into the store solely to spread kindness. What I did not realize until after he had left: he wanted to come in and express his love for fish to someone who took the time to listen. What if, due to my annoyance for the day, shunned him away and focused on my work. What if I did not show interest in what he was so eager to talk about? What if I walked away from the conversation right from the get-go? He might have had no one to share his thoughts to, and it might have made his day being able to talk about them with someone. The little things can turn someone's mindset into a whole different light. It was safe to say that my day took a turn for the better after this effortless encounter, and I can only hope I was able to make him feel the same.
It was a ten minute conversation. I spent almost eight hours being upset and letting the world take a toll on my life, and a ten minute conversation with someone I have never met before, changed my whole mentality. Is that not so powerful? The best part of this whole story? Anyone can be like that elderly man, and you can help someone out of their funk and make this world a kinder place. You do not have ten minutes to spare? It can take a simple smile or an, "I love that outfit," to achieve the same outcome.
I cannot remember where and when I heard this saying, but since I have, it has stuck with me.
If you feel the urge to tell someone something, then God needs that person to hear it.
To elaborate, if you have this random impulse to tell someone they look good, or that they have a gravitating energy about them, say it. I thoroughly believe that when you need to tell someone something, God wants them to hear it. He is putting His own words into you, so that you can continue to share the goodness of Him. A small gesture or phrase can go so far with someone. My two favorite compliments I have ever received was a few years ago, and I still remember them and who shared them with me. The two people most likely do not even recall what they said to me, but I will forever cherish their words. You have the power to change someone's entire mindset about life or themselves. You have the power to say something so genuine to someone that the person may carry your compliment with them throughout their life. Is that not so crazy?
You are not only capable of making someone's day, but you are capable of creating this sort of chain. You know how sometimes a stranger will buy another person's meal in a fast food drive thru line? What then happens? The person behind them typically buys the food for the person behind their car. This can go on and on and on, and it is the cutest, simplest act. It is sort of like the chain I am referring to. After that older man talked to me, I had the desire to go make someone smile or ask how a customer's day was. I wanted to make someone feel the same way that older man made me feel: important. This chain can bring so much peace to the world, and it. is. so. easy.
Being a college student on campus, I have learned that people love to smile. There are people I have never met or seen before who will look at me and share a kind gesture. Every single time, after we walk past each other, I think to myself, "Wow, they seem like a nice person," or "That was sweet," and it provides an abundance of comfort within me. How would you like it if every time you pass someone, they smile? You would feel loved, you would feel significant, in which you are, but know that you have the same ability to make someone else feel like this, too. I firmly believe that the world would be a kinder, more pleasing place if this was more common.
You are having a bad day? You are socially awkward? You space out while in public and lack focus on your surroundings? Understandable. There are times where I have my earbuds in and my friends will try and get my attention, but I am so focused on getting to class or back to my dorm, that I fail to see them. And if they do get my attention, they follow up with, "You look so mad!". It is never my intention, but I can be so concentrated in what I am doing that I forget to look up. I am not saying you have to wear this big smile and look positive 24/7 because it is nearly impossible to be this happy-go-lucky person all the time (even though there are a few people I know who are like this, and I look up to them because wow). What I am saying: when you walk by someone and you feel that impulse to smile, do God and that person a favor, and smile. All your desires to interact with someone in a positive matter are acts of service to God. You are treating His people with love and kindness. You will not lose anything from sharing positivity and light into this world, whether or not they do not return the benevolent gesture.
You have no idea what a person is going through. Zero clue. Nowadays, people are excellent at hiding negativity. Kevin Hines, a man who survived his attempt to end his life, expressed that if one person would have smiled or would have asked how he was doing, he would have confessed his difficulties and turned away from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. There are multiple articles online if you were interested in reading more into his story.
Venture through your life as a light--a guide to people who may be lost. Show the love and compassion that others desperately yearn for. It does not have to be extravagant; you do not need to pour a large amount of money or materialistic things into making someone feel better. Majority of the time, where I felt at my happiest, people were simply just kind. You have the capability of making this world brighter. The point: your smile may just save someone's life or help it.
A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight. Phyllis Diller.