26 acts

Last week, I sat at my desk crying for 26 people I don't know and begging mercy upon the families and friends who felt their loss so much deeper than I could. There's no explaining the why or how. There's no understanding this horrifying thing. There's only grief. And then, hope.

But the latter doesn't come so easily.

It's not difficult to lose hope in the world and the people in it. We are bombarded with stories every day showing the blackness of our hearts and the brokenness of our minds. We are callous and flawed. We hurt each other and care little for those around us. We are surrounded by an overwhelming amount of darkness and pain.

But there is also goodness and hope. What if we chose to see that too? What if we chose to BE that good, and that hope?

Yesterday, Ann Curry, one of my favorite journalists, posted the following on her Twitter account:



This was later amended to be #26Acts, to honor the adults who were killed as well. I have been following Ann's Twitter feed all day as she shares the hundreds of stories of people taking hope into their own hands. Below are just a few of them:




This gives me hope. There is generosity and selflessness in us. It's a shame that it often takes tragedy for it to be awakened, but it is alive and well.

My challenge to you (and me) is to look around you and see opportunity, not darkness. We are all looking for hope. You could be that hope for someone. Your actions could be the reminder that they are not alone; that we will take care of each other; that there is goodness and joy in the mourning. These simple acts don't require much of us. Some won't require anything but a smile and a sincere, 'How are you doing?' ... and then waiting for the answer.

It cost me $4 to buy lunch for the woman behind me in line today. And it cost me nothing to smile at a homeless woman and wish her a merry Christmas after hundreds have filed past her without acknowledgment. The cost is minimal, but you never know what it will mean for the person you share a bit of hope with.

Would you walk out your door today, tomorrow, this week - as long as you can! - and simply share one act of kindness? When you do, PLEASE come back and tell your story of hope in the comments here. 



Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)


Looking for a practical way to help? Check out www.hopemob.org.

Comments

  1. Thanks, Michelle, for posting the first positive and hopeful response I've read so far to the senseless tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT last week.

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you were encouraged. The stories I'm hearing are amazing.

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  2. You inspire me to be a better person. I'll keep you posted...

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