All of us have been on the receiving end of acts of kindness at various times throughout our lives. Most of us could name more than one individual who has had a dramatic, positive influence on our lives. It is only natural that we usually have a strong desire to do something special for these people in an effort to "pay them back." We can certainly express our appreciation to them, but seldom are we able to do as much for them as they have done for us.  However, we have plenty of opportunities to do meaningful things for other people--people who may have done nothing for us.

Children of loving parents can never really repay their parents directly for what they have done. They can love their parents deeply and do the kinds of things that loving children do for parents. But they make repayment for what their parents did for them as children, not to their parents, but to their own children.

As we receive acts of kindness and love from others, we become indebted to humanity as a whole. It is often impossible to directly repay those who have befriended us and, if their acts are true acts of love, they don't really expect repayment.  Often they are just passing along acts of generosity that they have received from others.

But there is no shortage of opportunities to befriend others.  Each and every day, most of us have opportunities to do small favors for other people.  Sometimes we have the opportunity to do something that can have an enormous impact on the life of another.  It is our choice as to whether or not we seize these opportunities.        

Some of us may feel that our lot in life has been such that we have no obligation to do anything for others.  We may believe that we have always come up on the short end of things, having received few favors from others.  So we think that we have no obligation to do anything for others.  Even so, can't we be generous with others regardless of our perception of how others have treated us? Maybe our perception is flawed.  Maybe people have done us favors of which we are not aware. Besides, if our acts of kindness cause the recipients to pass them on to others, we may have the opportunity to do a lot more good than we realize. Don't we get some satisfaction from the very act of doing something for others? If we don't, shouldn't we ask ourselves why? 

Copyright 2014 Allen Smith

TB-55—Posted 06/02/2014