Redefining Random

Each of us should live to please his neighbor. This will help him grow in faith. (Romans 15:2)

The term "random act of kindness" has become so commonplace in today's world, it ranks right up there with "there's an app for that." We all know what it means: doing something kind and generous - however large or small - for anyone, whether a perfect stranger or someone we know, with positively no expectation of or need for reward or recognition. Such acts make the giver and receiver feel happy, and they restore a sense of goodness and wholeness to humanity. For us chuch folk, they are done as a way of witnessing for Christ, and to make the receivers of our acts wonder (and hopefully ask) from where our generosity comes. Upon thinking about all this, it occurs to me...why are such things "random"?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word random as "without definite aim, direction, rule, or method." So, a random act of kindness is something done spontaneously, out of the joy of one's heart, with no thought to exactly how, when or where it should be directed? That's one way of looking at it, but there are also well-planned acts of kindness, such as Pastor Norm's example of buying a box-full of hot chocolates for fans at the Middies football game. The end result is the same - joy unexpected.

Therein lies the sad part of this discussion: We've come to a point in our society where we don't expect people to be nice. We implore each other to set aside time to be kind to another person, as though it is a chore to be checked off a to-do list. I suspect much of this is because we are afraid...afraid of getting into someone's space, or them getting into ours...fear of making a fool of ourselves...fear of cynicism from those who wonder what we're trying to buy with our good deeds. Or perhaps it's apathy, fueled by an "it's all about me" culture. Whatever the reason, we have found ourselves so disconnected from loving-kindness that we have to be reminded that it's not just our duty, but our joy.

It reminds me of the recent "Play 60" campaign by the NFL. Kids are encouraged to turn off the video games and to "get up and play 60 minutes every day" primarily as a means of reducing obesity and promoting overall health and wellness. I don't know about you, but I never thought we'd get to the point where kids had to be told to play. But I'm also reminded of simpler things, such as women who tell me that my husband is "so wonderful" for spending time playing with and taking care of our daughter. My response: "Why shouldn't he? He's her father."

In the end, it's all about expectations. The gap between what our society does to and for each other, and what God expects of us, seems to widen with each generation. I am as guilty as anyone of too often hiding behind fear or apathy. But God's Word makes it clear how we should treat one another every day. In God's kingdom, acts of kindness are not bullet points on a flow chart. They are a way of life. There's nothing random about that.