A Simple Act of Caring Creates an Endless Ripple

Jeffrey
Apr 11, 2020
9 min read

Updated: Apr 12, 2020

We are living in a world that in my opinion, is getting from bad to worse. With the prevalent threat of terrorism, everyone is living in fear. After the tragic incident of the September 11 attacks (also referred to as 9/11) where a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 resulting in the fatal destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Now everyone on the street no longer see each other in the same way. There is no more trust and warmth, instead it is now replaced with suspicions and hostility.

Even though we are now in such an environment, do not be despaired or lose heart. All of us can still do our part to make this world a better place to live in. There are still people with kind hearts all over the world. You can be a part of this community to share warmth, kindness and compassion with the needy. Your act of kindness could make somebody’s day. For that person, it lasts a lifetime.

A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple in the society. It only takes a small touch to create a ripple to change it's course and create new paths. Just like water, all of us needs water to survive. While we cannot control it but we can calm it, guide it and change the course it takes.

Water can be used to carry a ship, but water can also capsize the ship. In everything, there is always two sides of a coin. Let's go out today and make sure that ripple grows to a flowing river that impact and make a difference in the courses of the lives it touches.

Have the mindset of someone who plant a tree with the knowledge that he or she will never get to benefit from sitting under its shade. A simple act of caring by each one of us can create an endless ripple.

My New eBook

Recently I have decided to compile all my posts into a book so that there is one single place that my readers can download and have it handy for reading anytime anywhere. And I have finally completed this little e-Book entitled "Simple Reminders to Happiness" and published it in Amazon for purchase at a small price.

This book is by no means the only ways to achieve Happiness in Life. Instead, they are advice and knowledge that most of us are aware of, but we just need to be reminded. Hence this books is called simple reminders to Happiness in life!

This book also highlights the importance of keeping yourself happy in life and included some practical steps that you can follow to maintain peace, joy and gladness in your heart.

Often our minds and hearts are disturbed by many distractions and cares of this world. They caused us to lose our joy due to our ignorance. We give too much attention to many things in life that does not matters. We also lose our focus on things that really counts.

If you say, oh no, I tend to be pessimistic and my mind is always full of the negative things. The good news is, it’s not permanent. You are in control of what you allow to be deposited into your hearts. You also do have the absolute power to empty those toxic that aren’t supposed to be there to begin with. Once you do that, you will have peace and power to stay calm in the midst of storms. Even in this imperfect world that we are living in, you will remain victorious and happy. You will have the peace that surpasses all understanding. So, let’s begin this journey of uncovering what are the things that you should start to housekeep from your hearts. Be ready to fill them with the things that will bless you.

Many people have the illusion that happiness is doing or owning the things that make you happy. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Achieving happiness is more than that. Happiness is experienced also because of an absence of the things that make you unhappy!

A Touching Story

There is a YouTube video that always touched my heart each time I viewed it. Today, I watched it again, and the same kind of warmth emotion overwhelmed me and tears filled my eyes. This story is not just about the cake which I will narrate below. It means if you do something good to people, someday it will return back to you. It is called good Karma.

The story was told of a little girl going to the supermarket with her grandmother. She wanted to buy a birthday cake for her grandfather and chosen a cake excitedly. However, when making payment at the cashier counter, the grandmother noticed that she did not have enough money.

As the cake was returned to the cashier, the little girl was left with disappointment. At that moment, a young man saw the entire episode and quickly paid for the cake and rushed to offer the cake to the little girl. The grandmother declined and said that there is no reason why he should offer them the cake.

But the young man said, when he was 7 years old, he wanted to buy cake for himself as it was his birthday but his mother didn’t have enough money to buy. Then there was this man who unconditionally bought him the cake. He didn’t know his name and also did not have a chance to thank him.

The grandmother initially didn’t want to accept the cake, but obliged after the young man insisted that she kept it. In return, she asked for the contact details of the young man so that she could repay him one day when she had the money. The young man scribbled on a piece of paper and passed it to the girl. He also asked her to promise that if one day she sees another person in needs, she would offer help to that person.

The little girl returned home happily and offered the birthday cake to her grandfather. Out of concern, the grandfather commented that they didn't have to splurged on such an expensive cake. Then grandmother told him that it was paid for by a kind gentleman and the little girl quickly passed to grandfather the slip of paper that the young man wrote.

When he saw the writing on the slip of paper, he was brought back to the memory many years ago when he did a simple act of kindness to a boy who also wanted a cake that his mother could not afford. And it was exactly the same 7 years old boy that was now a grown-up man who offered the cake to them. At that time, when the boy’s mother asked for the man’s contact number, he wrote on a piece of paper and the words written were exactly the same words that were right before his eyes!

The moral of the story is this: you reap what you sow. When you sow with love and compassion, you will receive a harvest of love and compassion in your life.

Enjoy the original YouTube Video on this story below:

Lending to God

You will reap what you sow. If you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully. God is not blind to what you have done. The Bible tells us that when you help the poor, it's as though you are lending to the Lord

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed. Proverbs 19:17

They key in my story is this, it doesn't matter if you will be repaid by the person you helped. It is a blessing that you can be the lender and not borrower. The Lord will repay you for your kindness in ways that you can never imagine.

You help others not because you are expecting a return. The beauty is this, that you simply get to help. And as you do it, God will supply and you will always have more to share and give. That's the supernatural part of giving, that the giver will never be in lack because he gave. In fact, you may have more abundance for every good deed that you do!

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
2 Cor 9:6-8

The Star Thrower

In "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley, the story was told that:

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

There is no helps that is too small to be carried out. Every little help that you render to another person, it means a lot to that person at least. Therefore, don't stop helping, even if it is as simple as helping someone to cross the road.

Ways to Help Others

What then are the little things in life that you can be a blessing to others? Some of these may seem trivial to you, but it surely means a lot to the person being helped. I would like to list a few here so that the next time if you have such an opportunity, go for it and be a blessing.

Just like the YouTube video, open your eyes when you next visit a supermarket. Is there a family in a similar situation that you can help?
Donate to charity generously. It doesn't matter if you do not get to see how the money is spent. You are lending to God!
Give a smile to strangers. You do not know what others are going through. Someone may need just that little encouragement from your smile. That person may just be the starfish that needs help to return to the ocean.
Visit orphanages or old folks’ homes. Talk to the orphans or elderly folks. You can be the person who is going to put a smile on their faces.
Be like the good Samaritan in the bible, help a strange in needs.
Be a volunteer in a charitable organisation
Give a listen ear to someone. You don’t have to give any solution to the problems you are hearing. You are already doing that person a favour by listening.
Be an encourager. You may not remember all the bad things that others have done to you after some years. But I bet that you will never forget the person who helped you when no one cares.

The list goes on …. There are certainly many more ways you can go about doing goods, you just have to be observant and be willing, that's all.

What Are the Benefits of Helping Others?

It helps to make this world a better place to live in.
You feel better about yourself because is it always more blessed to give than to receive.
The life of another person is improved and may encourage that person to reciprocate. And if that kindness is passed on, it can create an endless ripple of compassionate culture in the society.
It improves the law and order of the society. When everyone is busy helping others, don't you think there is less opportunity for crime to take place?
The government can channel resources to building the country and better facilities for the citizens if there is less needs to spend on the welfare since all the citizens are helping one another.

Conclusion

You help not because you have to, but because you want to. It's a privilege to help others, it indicates that you are a blessed person and you do have the resources to help others.

So keep the spirit of empathy, compassion and kindness burn brightly in our society. Everyone's contribution is needed, and everyone can play a part to make this world a heaven on earth. Love will prevail over evil if everyone of us unite and choose to love and not to hate, to bless and not to destroy.

May God bless you abundantly over and above what you can think or imagine. And when you receive the blessing, don't forget to share. The more you share; the more blessing will come.