A random Sunday morning
It was a random Sunday morning, a few weeks ago, in our little thatched-roof church, when a simple moment of soulful response brought light (literary and figuratively) to our congregation.
I am part of a community choir, and we often perform and serve at church services. On this Sunday, we performed at my local church. After the service, over a cup of tea, one of the choir members asked me casually, “are the lightbulbs in your church screw in or push in”? What a weird question, I thought; nevertheless, I asked the church warden. I gave her feedback and kind of forgot all about it. To my surprise, the next evening at choir practice, she turned up with a bag full of light bulbs for our church – 40 of them!
“When we were singing, I saw that there were a few lightbulbs not working and I counted them,” she explained, and quickly shared her philosophy of life, which, in my view, is an example of soulfulness:
My purpose in life, which I had captured many years ago, is:
“To make a difference in somebody’s life every single day.”
Trust me, I have never needed the yellow pages to go look-up or find a suitable candidate, it comes to me throughout my daily walk with God, being open and receptive to God’s guiding light to fulfil the needs of others. It gives me the greatest satisfaction that I have managed to live my daily Purpose and to help those who need it most. Sunday morning was no exception; it was as if my eyes were lifted to the roof while singing in the choir, and when there was a quiet moment, I automatically started counting the light globes that were out! So no, I did not arrive there with the intention to do any maintenance; the need was handed to me on a platter. While driving home after the beautiful service, I started planning, and when I got home, I started searching for where to buy the replacement globes. Monday morning, off to Builders to buy the globes, and when I placed the shopping bag in the boot, I smiled and thanked God for yet another opportunity to make a difference where needed most.
Her action is such a great example of the interplay between awareness and response (soulfulness) – so simple, yet so deliberate. Talking with her, she emphasised the importance of acting immediately once you have realised there is an opportunity; something I wholeheartedly agree with.
Random acts of kindness
In a season of (sometimes) madness, this is a great reminder always to be open to random moments
of awareness (opportunity) and to then act deliberately with a soulful response. Shawn Achor (The Happiness Advantage) writes about how important it is to deliberately bring the positive into the present, because our brains respond to negativity and threat first. One way to bring the positive into the present is “random acts of kindness”. These random lightbulbs are just that: an example of somebody’s random act of kindness.
We’re only human. But we’re capable of kindness, so they call us humankind.
Humankind
I still believe that people are innately kind, which this story has again proven to me. The British band Coldplay sings a song titled Humankind, emphasising this inborn kindness in a simple, beautiful way:
I know, I know, I know How we’re designed
Oh, I know, I know, I know
We’re only human
But we’re capable of kindness
So they call us Humankind
Watch the song here.
Humankind … it made me realise:
- Every moment is an opportunity to be kind.
- The journey of soulful awareness asks for a deliberate, but simple response.
- It is possible to make a difference in somebody’s life every single day.
- When I see an opportunity, I need to act immediately, even if it is in a simple way.
REFLECT
Think for a few moments about the things that currently keep you from being aware and from responding with kindness. Stress and strain, overthinking, pressure and speed can often rob us of this ability. Make a few notes on this.
RESPOND
Find one situation in the next week to respond to with kindness – keep it simple and don’t be too hard on yourself – even if it is a smile or a sincere thank you, or to buy a lightbulb!
Try this:
Next time you see a lightbulb, remind yourself that even you can be a kind lightbulb …
Keep sharing your lightbulbs!
Please share your creative stories or soulful ideas with me at andre@besoulful.co.za.
If you want to schedule a retreat day for a small group, let me know!