Spreading Small Town Kindness Wherever You Are

 

This is Day 21 of a 31 day series on Biblical kindness. You can find the rest of the posts here!

I have lived in rural communities my whole life.  I grew up in a town without any stoplights.  My kids go to school in a town without any stoplights! People wave happily when they meet you on the road.

Growing up on a farm and attending a small school, I have reaped the benefits of small town living and kindness (and there have been many).

When I was growing up my dad loved the show Cheers.  (For a fun trip down memory lane I included the song for you!).   The line, “You want to be where everybody knows your name” describes small town life.

Small town life isn’t always perfect (everyone knows your business, people can get a little over dramatic, and you have to use your car to go anywhere) but I have always found there to be so many more great things about small towns.  When news travels quickly through the community, it can be a blessing when someone is having trouble others offer prayer, support, and love.

I have seen so many examples of small town kindness throughout my life.   Here  are just a few:

• After having the twins, we were basically quarantined to our house to keep the babies away from germs.  A small town service that the grocery store offered is grocery delivery.   During that time when staying healthy was so important, this was a tremendous act of kindness and a blessing to me and my family!

• Small town communities help each other when times are tough.  A few years ago a local farmer passed away before his crops were harvested.  A group of the local neighbor farmers got together and harvested the crops for the family that fall.
• I know a group of guys who all get together each time one of them works cattle so they always have help.
• When I got divorced and couldn’t leave the kids alone to mow my yard, one of the town’s pastors and his wife came over and mowed and weeded for me.
• Last year a student that goes to school with our children got hurt in a car accident.  Our small town rallied behind his family and had an amazing fundraiser for him and his family to help pay medical bills.
• Our neighbors not only volunteer their time to coach some of the kids’ sports teams but they are always happy to give them a ride to and from practice so I don’t have to take the other kids out.
• In both of the small towns I’ve lived in, many of the local churches have invited all the kids in the community to attend their Bible schools whether they attended a different church or not.  The common goal was teaching children about loving God.

Small town kindness is not a thing of the past. It is still going strong in our rural communities, even though the small towns are dwindling in size, which we can apply anywhere we go!

Here are a few of those small town principles that you can incorporate into your lives today and take with you anywhere you go:

• Community is important.  Life is more full and rich when we have others to share it with.  Throw a block party or community barbecue this summer to get to meet your neighbors.  If you want to be frugal, have it be a potluck!  You might make new friends that will last a lifetime!
• Be hospitable.   “Do unto others as you’d want to have done to you.”
• Offer to help by using your strengths.  If you are a good cook, cook!  If you have extra, give!
• Volunteer, not just because you have to, but because you genuinely enjoy it!
• Love people.

I’d love to know what small town kindness you are adopting into your community whether it’s a metro area or a rural area! 

To see the other posts in this series click here.

Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!