RAKs: What They Are And Why They Matter
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Student Life

RAKs: What They Are And Why They Matter

Kindness: the act of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

Hannah Williamson
Sep 13, 2018
University of Mississippi
65
RAKs: What They Are And Why They Matter
EveryPixel

When I was in high school, my youth group typically had nights of fellowship going rollerskating or bowling during the summer instead of service nights. However, the summer after my sophomore year, we switched things up a bit by doing Random Acts of Kindness in our local community.

One week we went to a gas station offering bottled waters to people as they filled up their gas tanks. Another week we went to Sonic and offered to pay for people's orders. After offering them water or paying for their Sonic order, we gave them a card that said "You've been RAK'd" and the flip side of it had information about our church inviting them to our services.

Shortly after these two Wednesday nights of doing RAK's, I found myself paying for the person's order behind me in a drive-thru and just asking the cashier to give them the "You've been RAK'd" card. Random acts of kindness soon turned into a way for me to show God's love to complete and total strangers that would never even see my face.

Now I'm not saying you need to go around offering water to strangers or to pay for multiple Sonic orders, nor am I saying you have to be a Christian spreading God's love to do a random act of kindness. What I am saying is that just by one little, simple action, you might be able to completely turn around someone's day for the better. Seriously, you never know how far a random act of kindness can go...maybe you will start a chain reaction that has a positive effect on many people's day.

So here's my challenge to you: make it your goal to do ONE random act of kindness a day. And yes, I said per day. Not every random act of kindness has to cost you money, so trust me, it is completely doable to find a way to brighten at least one person's day. Make it a habit to appreciate others. Here are some ideas to get you going:

1. Let someone go in front of you in line at the grocery store

2. Text a friend an encouraging text to let them know you are thankful for them

3. Hold the door open for people

4. Do a favor without asking for anything in return

5. Give a friend a book you think they would like

6. Leave a surprise, positive sticky note for someone

7. Let people merge in during the traffic

8. Just a simple smile can do wonders when someone is having a bad day

9. Volunteer in your community

10. Be kind to yourself too(:

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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