Is a life of kindness and service to others the wisest choice?
Powerful quotes to reflect on:
From Albert Schweitzer: “I do not know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will ever be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.” (Those wise enough to make a personal experiment to test that principle for themselves soon discover it to be a wonderful and true principle.)
Albert Einstein said: “Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.”
Marion Romney said, “We are truly happy only when we are engaged in selfless service.”
“It is more important to be kind than to be correct.”
“Be kind and love everyone, and love will return to you double.”
Bradley D. Foster said, “Never love anything that can’t love you back… Remember, happiness isn’t measured in zeros, it’s measured in relationships. Life isn’t about accumulation. Life is about contribution.”
Joseph Joubert said: “Kindness is loving people more than they deserve.”
“Don’t seek happiness, for that can lead to selfishness, which is the opposite of happiness. Seek to share God’s love, kindness, service, and friendship whenever you can; and greater happiness for yourself and your loved ones will be a natural byproduct.” Charles E. Hunt
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt kindly with me.” Bible: Psalm 13:6 (Our Lord blesses us far more than any of us deserve, if we stop to try to count the countless blessings that come from Him. Even when we go through great trials and tests during our earthly probation and school, there is much for a grateful person to be thankful for.)
Is sharing kindness, love, and service to others the best and wisest way to build and maintain joyful and loving relationships?
What’s the best and surest way to learn to truly love someone? – – – by serving them, right?
Why do a mother and father learn to love their newborn baby so much and so quickly? Isn’t it because the baby comes into their family as a wonderful gift from God, but also so completely helpless that the baby would literally die if the parents and older siblings didn’t choose to serve and love their baby? And as they selflessly serve their baby, God blesses them with an incredible unconditional love for their baby/child, right?
Wasn’t it wonderfully wise of God to choose to send us to our earthly school as helpless babies with a mother and father to learn to love us while they cared for us?
Isn’t it true that you will also learn to love other children of God, if you choose to serve them, just as you learn to love your own children, by serving them?
Studies have shown that having enough money to meet basic needs for food and shelter, and a little more, is helpful for a happy life, but that focusing too much energy and time on building wealth breeds selfishness in most cases, resulting in an unhappy and unfulfilled life. Would you rather be rich and lonely, or would you rather live a life sharing God’s service and love with others so you can enjoy many loving and trusting relationships? If you choose wisely to read the Bible, you will see that Jesus clearly taught that the greatest and happiest people are those who provide the greatest service to their fellow human beings, as He taught us to do.
True Story: From the book “Stories That Teach Gospel Principles” by Allan K. Burgess and Max H. Molgard, page 41: “What Can I Do to Be Happy?” This amazing true story was told by the oldest son, Alan, about the last 10 or so years of his mother’s life. Some quotes include: “His mother’s back had been broken in several places, and due to complications from other problems, it would never heal. This meant she had to be in constant traction to decrease the pain as much as possible. Alan remembered one day that his mother had been depressed and had asked him to come talk to her. She wanted to know what she could do to keep from getting depressed. Even though she was suffering, she wanted to be happy. Alan didn’t know what to say to her, so he said he would fast, pray about it, and talk to her again the following Sunday. The answer Alan received shocked him, and he didn’t know how he was going to tell his mother. When Sunday came, Alan sat down with his mother and told her she was being too selfish and only thinking about herself. What she needed to do, if she wanted to be happy, was to stop worrying about her problems and start helping other people. She asked Alan how she could help others while being in bed twenty-four hours a day. Alan didn’t really know the answer to that problem and told her he had given her the solution, but it was up to her to figure out how to do it.”
Now Alan remembered how his mother had responded to the Lord’s answer and filled her life with service to others. . . . She called volunteer agencies and found things she could do to help others. She called daily people who were lonely and needed encouragement. She made gifts and had her husband deliver them. She taught a children’s class (Sunday school) in her living room, which was possible because she lived near the church.
A few weeks after she began serving others in this way, she took Alan by the hand and tearfully thanked him for giving her the guidance she needed to be happy. . . . She told Alan how this had given her life meaning and purpose again.”
Other true quotes to reflect on:
“You can’t take away my joy and inner peace unless you can find a way to eliminate every opportunity to serve others or to do good” Charles Hunt (which I wrote after reading the true story above and applying it to my life during the most difficult challenges of my life.)
“It is impossible to consistently show kindness and love to others and to serve others without being blessed with greater inner peace, true joy, and love.” Charles Hunt
Bible: Matthew 10:39: “ He who finds his life will lose it , and he who loses his life for me will find it.”
“I know what joy is because I have done a good job.” Author unknown
“The most important and joyful of all good works is to show kindness and love to another child of God.” Charles Hunt (These are two quotes that my wife and I displayed for our team members to see, and that we emphasized often in team meetings for our 15-room AAA Kindness Care Home, which Amparo and I designed, built, and ran in Santa Maria, California.
“It is impossible to consistently uplift and serve others in a kind and loving way without building many loving and joyful relationships, which is the key to a joyful and meaningful life.” Charles Hunt
“People who choose daily to make an effort to make a positive difference in the lives of others are blessed by God with inner peace, real joy, and many joyful and uplifting relationships.” Charles E. Hunt
“When we choose to help others through random acts of kindness, we begin to see ourselves as valuable and valued members of a family and a community.” Charles E. Hunt
“A heart in tune with God is a heart that beats for others.” Author unknown
“A habit of kindness and service will surely generate many joyful and loving relationships.”
Questions to reflect on:
Isn’t it true that the best and most effective way to learn to truly love others is by serving them? If you expect or demand things or certain behaviors from others, does that build loving and joyful relationships—or does it simply create a lot of stress for everyone involved? If you choose to give your daily best effort to share selfless service, love, kindness, patience, and respect in all your family interactions with each of your family members, and pray to God for His help in that, and if you pray to God for deep and real love for your family members and for each other, you will be amazed at how much more joyful and loving your relationships will soon become. However, it is necessary to understand that while most people will respond very well to consistent kindness, some emotionally ill people and stubborn, selfish people will not, and sadly, they may not yet be ready for a joyful, trusting, and loving relationship with anyone. However, you will be blessed with greater inner peace and joy as a reward from God if you choose to treat all people with kindness and respect, even the grumpy and mean ones. And over time, your kindness will help many of them adopt a more joyful lifestyle.
Have you noticed that when people choose to live a sinful life completely removed from God’s teachings, they soon lose their ability to love others or even themselves? Of course, if they choose to sincerely return to God, to Jesus Christ, and to His teachings, then light, joy, and love will return to their face, to His Spirit, to their lives, and to their relationships.
The best way to discover for yourself with 100% certainty whether sharing kindness, love, and service to others in every way and opportunity will also bring you more inner peace, real joy, and more loving and joyful relationships is to try it for yourself with 100% certainty. I have included the 30-day experiment, along with the suggestions for an important 30-day experiment in chapter 22 of this book. Why not at least try it? If it doesn’t work, you can always go back to your old way of life, right? However, I and millions of others can promise you with certainty that following the teachings of Jesus Christ—including His teachings and example—to perform good and kind acts of service to others works far better than anything else for building a joyful life and relationships. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, have promised us in the Bible that the best and wisest choice is to make a positive difference in as many lives as possible, including our own. However, “The Law of Love,” as author and former professional football quarterback Steve Young teaches in his wonderful book of that title, works far better if we serve out of pure, Christ-like love, expecting nothing in return from God or others—simply sharing the joyful love of God with which we have been blessed.
Below are some excellent Bible verses about service:
Matthew 20:25-28: “ Then Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it will not be so among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant , and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave , just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 25:21: “ And his lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things , I will make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Mark 9:34-35: “ But they kept silent, because they had discussed with one another on the way who should be the greatest . Then he sat down and called the Twelve to him and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first , he must be last of all and servant of all.”
Matthew 25:34-40: “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when I saw thee an hungred, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee in? or naked, or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Matthew 25:34-40: “Then the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you took me in, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me , I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you drink? Or when did we see you a stranger and take you in? Or naked and clothe you?’
Or when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? Then the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
James 1:1: “ 1 To James , a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad : Greeting.
James 2:14-18: “ My brethren , what will it profit, if someone says he has faith , but does not have works? Can faith save him? And if a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be kept warm and filled; and you do not give them those things which are needful for the body; what will it profit? So also faith , if it does not have works , is dead , being alone. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works . ”
Joshua 24:15: “ Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ; . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
1 Samuel 12:20-24: “And Samuel said to the people, Fear not; you have done all this wickedness; nevertheless, do not turn away from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away and follow worthless things, which a profit nothing , nor deliver, for they b are worthless . For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, for it is the Lord’s pleasure to make you his own people. Therefore, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the a good and right way . Only a fear the Lord, and b serve him in truth with all your heart, for c consider how great things he has done for you.”
Daniel 3:17: “ If so be, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king.”
Matthew 6:24: “ No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 4:8: “ You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”
John 12:26 “ If anyone serves me, he must follow me . And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him will my Father honor.”
Galatians 5:13-14: “ For you, brothers, were called to freedom; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For all the law is fulfilled in this one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Developing good habits, such as showing kindness and love to everyone – – – will surely bring you many joyful and loving relationships = a more joyful and happy life and eternity for you and your loved ones.
Kindness and service beget kindness and service, respect begets respect, success in one area begets success in other areas, and the opposite is true: bad mood begets bad mood, disrespect begets disrespect, selfishness begets selfishness.
“Do random acts of kindness to bring love and joy to yourself and others.”
“Catching each other out doing good deeds and praising the actions, not the person, helps encourage more of the same acts of kindness and love.”
Why praise good deeds instead of the “person”? Have you ever noticed that you and most people find it difficult to accept praise or criticism—being told we are good or bad, smart or dumb, etc. We all know we are not completely good yet, and we won’t be during our short earthly schooling—but we can more easily and comfortably accept praise about how kind and thoughtful that kind deed we were caught doing toward our sister or brother was. “Labels” don’t work well; labeling any child of God, whether good or bad, makes us uncomfortable. However, if we find a child or adult frequently performing random acts of kindness toward their siblings and other people, then they begin to realize that they are getting pretty good at sharing God’s love and goodness with another child of God, and that feels really good inside, doesn’t it? In fact, if any child of God will give it their all for just a 30-day experiment to begin with, they will be amazed at how much inner peace, joy, and loving relationships they will enjoy, which, of course, will help them want to continue the experiment for life, right?
Powerful quote from a great Christian song we sing at our church: “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?” by Will L. Thompson
Have I done anyone any favor or good in the world today?
Have I made you feel that it is good to live?
Have I given him support?
Have I lightened his burden because I gave him relief?
Or did I manage to help the poor?
Did I share my property with him?
Be alert! And do more than just dream of a heavenly mansion.
For the good we do, we will always have peace,
and joy and great blessing.
Everywhere we are given opportunities
to serve and offer love.
Don’t let it pass; you must act now.
Do something without delay.
It is noble and great to serve others;
there is merit in working.
Only he who works feels happy,
and God will reward him.
What are some of the greatest and most important gifts of service we can share with our family members and with any of God’s children? Greet each person with a kind, friendly smile and by name if you’ve met them before. How can you remember all the names? You can’t, but you can do your best and use your cell phone’s contacts section to record many people’s names in certain groups under the group name: such as “pickleball group,” a contact group, a church group, a RC team group, a school group, etc. If you can remember their name and greet them by name, it helps them feel as if you are their friend. And everyone’s life can be brightened with a few more loving friends.
A listening ear, because it’s an important gift to help a person feel understood and that you care about them personally as a child of God, and that’s important.