“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward Matt.6.1-5 NIV
Lloyd Douglas wrote a novel based upon the principles of this text, The Magnificent Obsession. Hollywood added the movie but glossed over much of the spiritual message for the love story. The fascinating idea within the story is how the protagonist’s success comes from discovery of this Bible secret. Good deeds done in secret generate spiritual success in life.
The novel includes how the young doctor Merrick slowly discovers the secret of success of a man whose death he was in part responsible because of his own reckless need for a vital respirator at the other man’s moment of need. The secret was kept in a private journal and was an account of countless good deeds that were never shared. I was moved by it as a young idealistic teen and have never forgotten nor ceased to be challenged.
Another more recent story with a similar message is found in the movie Pay it Forward. In this example the protagonist is a young boy.
“Trevor McKinney begins 7th grade in Las Vegas. His social studies teacher, Eugene Simonet, assigns the class to put into action a plan that will change the world for the better. Trevor calls his plan “pay it forward”, which means the recipient of a favor does a favor for three others rather than paying it back. However, it needs to be a favor that the recipient cannot complete themselves. Trevor implements the plan himself, forming a branch of good deeds. His first deed is to let a homeless man named Jerry live in his garage, and Jerry pays the favor forward by doing car repairs for Trevor’s mother Arlene”. Wikipedia
I find both of these stories appealing and challenging. Moreover, inspirational as coming from Jesus whose sacrifice on the cross has been the ultimate example of paying it forward ever. Because He did we can.
Another inspiration is the idea of Random Acts of Kindness.
A random act of kindness is a nonpremeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world.[1] The phrase “random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” was written by Anne Herbert on a placemat in Sausalito, California in 1982. It was based on the phrase “random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty”.[2] Herbert’s book Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty was published in February 1993 speaking about true stories of acts of kindness.
The phrase is commonly expressed as the suggestion to “Practice random acts of kindness.” There are groups around the world who are sharing acts of spontaneous kindness. Wikipedia
My late wife, Lily , used to say “It takes so little to make someone’s day. so why not do it?” The kindness could be as small as a smile or a compliment. I like to fold dollar bills into diamond rings as a portion of my tips for servers. They are always pleased and broadly smile while slipping it onto a finger.
I like to believe such kindness is then paid forward in a kindness towards others, if only through a more cheerful attitude for an hour or a day!
Think of what a difference it can make to let another driver into traffic. There must be a hundred small things that can ease the difficulties of life for a stranger.