Be the Positivity You Want to Feel

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others.

Yesterday I went to return the rental car I've been driving for a less expensive one. My parents have been paying a little extra for me to drive a rental car that's similar to my Nissan Murano that I was driving before my accident.

So I'm at Enterprise, so sad to turn in the beaut of a car I've been sporting for over a week.. Now you know why. This baby is fully loaded.

  2013 Ford Edge, touch screen and really touch EVERYTHING! It's so sweet! 

I promise I did realize this was not my car.. just something to drive for the time being till I find a new something to call my own. But surely you can imagine my sadness to let her go.

So I'm talking with the girl at the front desk about how awesome the car was, "I'm so glad I go to drive it for a few days", "The touchscreen blows.my.mind!", "Talk about the space in this thing. It's HUGE!" You get the picture.

She does the inspection of the car to make sure I've taken good care of it and we go inside to switch me out into something a bit smaller and what my insurance will cover without additional cost. 

Then she stops mid-sentence. "You know what? I'm gonna help y'all out. Just keep it for the few days longer you need it. You don't owe me anything."

WHOA. Is this real life?! This girl totally hooked me up and she doesn't know me from Adam.

Ever realize how a random act of kindness can be totally contagious and change your mood completely? For the rest of the day I was stoked about getting to drive this car for just a few more days. All because this young woman was willing do something nice, for me!

It's time to pay it forward people! Let's make it a goal to get outside of our comfort zone and do nice things for other people, simply because we should radiate the positivity we want to FEEL! 

So here are a few suggestions on how we can all pay it forward in small ways: (most of them are for free...so no excuses!)

1. Find opportunities to give out a compliment. Something as simple as... "You look great today. You're lighting up the entire room with that smile."... could be a game-changer for someones day.

2. Come trash day, take your neighbors trash to the street. They may never see you do it, but can you imagine how nice it would be, especially if you have a long driveway like mine, that someone has pulled that smelly thing all the way down to the street for you?!

3. Help out a stranger with a small donation. 
Here is a couple of guys I went to High School and College with. Awesome brothers on a mission for God to help build some houses in Guatemala next month. Giving up a lunch out for $10 bucks can help these guys get that much closer to reaching their goal of $11,000 dollars before they leave on their mission trip. You can read more about their story and make a donation here.

4. Just say "Thank You" to someone who has been an influence in your life. That you appreciate their advice, their inspiration, their friendship.

So let's get to it! Just like the girl from Enterprise who made my whole day better, you too can make a difference in someone else's life today!

Thank you Lord for putting people in our lives that inspire us to be better. Help us to radiate that positivity to someone who needs it today and may all the glory and benefit of us being a little kinder to our neighbors go to You. Let us be a vessel of your love and kindness to the world! -Amen

Until next time :)

-A