A daily act of kindness

16 May 2022

Making a difference to something that breaks your heart

How old do you have to be to start being kind? Or should that be, how young? 

How does 11 years of age sound? Too young? Well, not according to Orion Jean of Texas, who was recently voted Time magazine’s 2021 ‘Kid of the Year’. 

Orion’s motto is, “If you see a problem, fix it.” And he sees himself as an ambassador for kindness. For Thanksgiving 2020, he organised the donation and delivery of 100,000 meals for families across America, and last (northern) summer it was the distribution of 500,000 books to children. 

Watching the news during the pandemic, Orion wanted to do something, and the prize money he won in a speech contest was the catalyst that set him on his way. He had a lot of help from adults with logistics and, of course, from the people who supported his work both financially and by getting involved. 

But it was his vision that started it all, and his view that kindness is a choice. His advice is to find something that breaks our hearts and then, instead of wringing our hands, get out there and do something to make the difference. It needn’t be a national project, for even small acts of kindness can make a huge improvement in someone’s life. 

Jesus said, “Do for others what you want them to do for you” (Matthew chapter 7, verse 12, Good News translation). This is called the Golden Rule and is even now a universal standard of how to treat others. 

But Jesus also told a story about people who fed him when he was hungry, clothed him when he was naked, and visited him when he was in jail. This story ended with the statement, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me – you did it to me” (Matthew chapter 25, verse 40, The Message translation). 

Can you commit to an act of kindness a day, knowing that you are pleasing God? Too old or too young? Definitely not. 

James Burns is a freelance writer from the Dunstable Salvos in the United Kingdom.