Christmas may be over, but we wanted to take a moment to stop and reflect on this year's Advent Acts of Kindness. Some acts were small, some a bit larger, but in all of them we tried to fulfill the purpose of Micah 6:8: 

"No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God." (NLT)


Quite honestly, Christmas has never felt as real and as perfect as it did this year. It wasn't our own actions that we find admirable. In the grand scheme of things, they were quite small. But it was the way in which we saw God move through the Acts and the Acts of others that was truly inspiring.

Sometimes I’m a slow learner. With all the hats I wear I have a hard time slowing down. This Christmas season we decided to do Advent Acts of Kindness, each day picking something kind to do for someone else.

When Julie first brought this idea up in early November, I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly thrilled.

Really, Julie? I thought. Christmas is already a busy season; you want me to add one more thing to do?

Nancy Holte, speaker and writer, loves to encourage women to grab hold of God's amazing plan for their lives! She is a woman who loves to laugh and can bring humor into almost any situation. She is a courageous woman, storyteller, wife, mother and grandmother...and best of all, we get to call her friend! She has graciously agreed to be a guest blogger for The Ruth Experience. Read and enjoy!

When I first read The Ruth Experience blog about Advent Acts of Kindness, I knew I wanted in. I called a little meeting with my husband (Ok, let’s be honest, I started talking to him in the car where, quite frankly, he pretty much can’t get away) and we discussed the possibilities. We also discussed the funding because, let’s face it, even making cookies has a certain cost to it. And then, we plunged into the projects. Well, I plunged in . . . my husband got sick. And since our kids are grown and married, I was pretty much on my own.

This December we have decided to do Advent Acts of Kindness for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. All different ideas, both big and small, reaching into our neighborhoods, country and world. Anything from leaving quarters on a red box machine, to writing thank you letters to service men, to sponsoring a child in another country. We've invited you, our reader, to join us, and then post your acts of kindness on our facebook page. But we always had in mind to do a big finale leading up to December 25th, all together, you included. And here it is: