If...Then
May 24, 2023
If you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness… The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands… You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry. Isaiah 58:10-11 NCV
Scientific research shows dramatic connections between being kind and life improvement. Here are just a few benefits:
Being kind improves your emotional health. There are many research studies into the link between kindness and happiness. For instance, the Journal of Social Psychology reported that performing acts of kindness can improve life satisfaction and raise emotional health.
Kindness gives a new perspective. Kindness and empathy, the ability to share and understand another person’s feelings, are closely related. You learn more about yourself and others by being kind. You understand the wideness of the world and the connections we have. A kind person can touch human life in profound ways. You truly SEE.
Kindness improves your mental health, lowers stress, and helps you grow. Kindness is not weakness, it’s strength. Stress is a reality we all face that can harm our mental health and lead to certain illnesses. Kindness produces a physiological reaction that lowers the stress hormone cortisol, reducing stress and producing a calmer mental state. This happens whether we are saying or hearing a kind word. Less stress and a calmer mind in our everyday lives can help us study harder, perform better at work, and get along with people more easily. This leads to further benefits like greater self-confidence and success. Kindness makes you more resilient.
Kindness improves physical health. That stress hormone cortisol wreaks havoc on the body and affects nearly every organ. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol raise blood-sugar levels. Kindness helps protect the heart. People who are compassionate and kind to others show reduced levels of inflammation, which is linked to serious heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease. Kindness also lowers blood pressure and positively influences the immune system. Kindness acts as a preventive medicine for many chronic conditions.
Kindness causes relationships to thrive. Kind words and acts are known for improving all interpersonal relationships, including relationships with family, friends, and even strangers. Love thrives on kindness! Kindness releases feel-good hormones like the “love hormone” oxytocin. These feel-good hormones foster a sense of intimacy and closeness between people. In this way, kindness makes you feel more loved and more loving.
No wonder the Creator tells us that when we live in kindness we will flourish, like a well-watered garden, a spring in the desert that never runs dry, a light in the darkness.
- How will you keep kindness at the top of your list all day today?