National I Want You to be Happy Day

National I Want You To Be Happy

considerate- mindful, thoughtful of someone else

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.

— Proverbs 22:9 (NKJV)

Love Through the Little Things

Adapted from the resource Love Out Loud - by Joyce Meyer

What we do for others doesn’t always need to be a big thing—it’s often little acts of kindness that mean the most. If we always do just a little more than we have to, we’ll end up being a blessing to many. For example, if you’ve eaten at a restaurant and your meal was $8 and you pay with a $10 bill, you could leave a $1 tip, or you could do a little extra and tell the waiter to keep the rest. It’s only a dollar, but it’s a way of doing a little something extra.

If we treat people with generosity, we will find our own blessings increasing. We’ll have more joy, and God will bring a harvest of good things into our own lives. Don’t be the kind of person who only does what they have to—always go the extra mile.

One day I was checking out at a bookstore and my change was a little over a dollar. I noticed a collection box at the register asking people to give their change to help hungry children. My first thought was, “I don’t have to do that, I give all the time.” But my second thought was, “I don’t have to, but I’m going to, just to go the extra mile.” It isn’t difficult to figure out which of my thoughts was from God and which one was just my own mind. I gave the change and of course I never missed it, but my small extra gift was enough to feed a child for an entire day in a third world country like India or Africa. What seems like a small thing to us is often huge to someone else. Do all you can, as often as you can, for as many people as you can. This is the way God wants us to live.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for all the ways You’ve blessed me. Please show me how I can go the extra mile to be kind to those around me today. In Jesus’ Name, amen.