The Coupon Fairy

Last week, Allison, over at O My Family, challenged her friends and readers (who are friends she just hasn't met yet) to go out of their way to perform acts of kindness, and then share about their experiences. 

We do this, not to boast, but to encourage one another, to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).  It is through these small acts of kindness that we bring glory to God, and in these actions, the kingdom of heaven draws near.  To read about Allison's experience this week, click here.

I was inspired.  I have been thinking about this all week, what act of kindness I could perform.  On Friday.  (because apparently I can't be, don't have time to be, it doesn't occur to me to be kind on other days).  I had been praying about it, too, that God would give me an opportunity. 

Yesterday I decided I was going to use up the last of our zucchini crop to make (the best ever) zucchini muffins and take some to a neighbor...but my motivation failed me and the zucchini is still sitting, intact, on the kitchen counter (along with the dirty pots and pans from dinner 2 nights ago...oops, did I say that out loud?). *sigh*

This morning, after a less satisfying sleep than normal, I got up early and was thinking about my day.  Here's what I thought: breakfast for AKD at 6 a.m., then to the bus by 6:22 (I know--that is appallingly early).  Shower, get MC and Bubby up, give them a bath, get them dressed, feed them, get to the bus by 8:15, drive Bubby to school, then {breathe}, finally.  And back to it: 3 mile hike, Bullseye store, bank, library, back to school to pick up Bubby, home for lunch, then {breathe} again.

Where, in that mess of activity, was I going to find time for kindness? 

And then it hit me: I could play coupon fairy.  I was going to the store, anyway.  So in between feeding the kids and getting them off to school, while I was making my shopping list, I went through my coupon clutch pulling out coupons I could leave behind for others to find.  And that is why, this morning, I could be seen flitting about inside the Bullseye store leaving almost $50 worth of coupons in my wake.  Seriously folks, being the coupon fairy is a lot of fun--you should definitely try it.  As I flitted, I prayed for those who would find the coupons.
 
And then, as I was just about done, attempting to leave my final couple of coupons for a frozen food item that I now know our local Bullseye store does not carry, a woman, who was juggling quite a few items in her arms, dropped something right at my feet.  And that's when I knew that God had answered my prayer, and I needn't have worried about finding my own act of kindness.  God had this appointment planned for me already.

I picked up her bag of frozen shrimp and handed it to her, and then, as I was thinking {I should give her my cart; I have fewer things than she does}, I spotted a stack of baskets out of the corner of my eye, and handed one to her.

That's it.  I pray that, in that instant, she felt God's love beaming down on her, even if she didn't recognize it as such.

Showing God's love through acts of kindness does not have to be difficult or time consuming.  In fact, I think in some ways the little kindnesses are more effective.  All we need to do to make a difference is to open our eyes to the opportunites to share Christ's love that God puts in our path.  That, and to have the courage to act. 

My friends, will you join me and show kindness today?