The Kindness Experiment Results Are In!

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time. Buckle up!You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Did you join us for the week-long True Girl Mom+Daughter Kindness Challenge? I hope so. It’s not too late to give it a try if you didn’t. 

In season 17 of the True Girl podcast, we’re exploring the power of kindness. Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph challenged everyone to pick one person to direct their kindness toward for one week. During the challenge we were invited to:

1. Say nothing negative—to or about the person or people you’re focusing on. 
2. Share one positive thing daily—praise or affirm them to their face and tell someone else, too, if you can. 

Remember, this month our True Girl subscribers get our printed Kindness Poster and Kindness Cards—tools to turn your home into a hub of kindness. But if you’re not a subscriber, you can get these this month as downloadables by visiting MyTrueGirl.com. Or, hey, when you’re there, you may want to become a subscriber. We’ll ship you the kindness box straight away! 

Okay, let’s catch up to Dannah and Staci. They’re in the Kindness Cafe again today, and they’re reading letters again. This time, the girls are sharing some pretty hilarious results from the kindness experiment.

Okay, True Girl, here’s episode 2 of season 17. We’re calling it, “The Kindness Experiment Results Are In!” This is Dannah Gresh.

Dannah Gresh: Ah, this is literally the most delicious oatmeal ever. I think it’s these berries! Ripened to perfection, Staci. They’re not picked a day too soon.

Staci Rudolph: They are good, Dannah! Gotta say, I wasn’t sure about oatmeal today, but these berries make it feel more like dessert! And, of course, I’ve got my ginger garlic tea.

Dannah: Staci, I will never understand that tea choice.

Staci: And yet, here we are, still besties. That’s what kindness does—it bridges gaps, Dannah!

Dannah: Speaking of kindness, it’s been a whole week since we kicked off the Mom+Daughter Kindness Challenge. I cannot wait to hear how it went for some of our friends!

Staci: Ohh, we got some good ones. Let’s start with this one from Lily in Ohio. 

 Hello Dannah and Staci,

I tried to be extra kind to my mom this week, but . . . she got suspicious! She actually asked me, “Are you feeling okay? Did you break something? Do you need money?!”

Dannah: Oh no! Lily, we promise, keep at it, and she’ll start believing it’s real!

Staci: Okay, now here’s one from Janae in Tennessee.

I thought I’d be kind by making my mom coffee in the morning. But I accidentally put salt instead of sugar in the cup. She almost spit it out all over her Bible. But she smiled and said, “It’s the thought that counts.”

Dannah: Okay, that is a very kind mom!

Staci: Now, we do have a really sweet one. This one’s from Jackie in Canada.

My mom and I have been arguing a lot, so we decided together that the kindness challenge was just what we needed. It really has changed things for us. Thank you, Dannah and Staci! My heart is softer towards my mom!

Dannah: Aww, that is beautiful. Kindness really is powerful!

Staci: And then there’s this one.

Dannah: Uh-oh! I do not like that look on your face!

Staci: [dramatic reading] 

Help! Anyone! IT’S NOT WORKING!!!

Dannah: Uh oh. 

Staci:  

I have been nice to my mom all week, and she still told me to clean my room! She still said no to ice cream before dinner! What is the point of kindness if I don’t get anything in return? 

Signed,
A Very Frustrated True Girl.

Dannah: Ohh, I get it! Try as you might, sometimes the mom+daughter relationship—or any relationship for that matter—is just hard!

Staci: Yep! And I just want to say: kindness isn’t just about getting what we want. It’s about sticking with it, even when it feels like nothing is changing. Today, I’ve got a perfect Bible verse.

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. (Gal. 6:9)

So, this verse to me says, basically, kindness is like planting a seed. It’s gonna take time to see the seed of kindness produce something sweet and tasty!

Dannah: Exactly! And sometimes, it takes a while to see the harvest. I mean, if we had picked these berries on the day they first started to sprout from the bush . . .

Staci: Yuck! Nasty!

Dannah: Exactly.

Staci: Okay, let’s zoom out for a second and look at Galatians 6:9 in context. Paul wrote this whole letter to the church in Galatia because they were struggling—big time!

Some people were trying to make Christianity about rules instead of faith in Jesus. Paul was like, "Nope! It’s all about Jesus and the way His Spirit changes us."

And right before this verse, Paul talks about how we reap what we sow. Basically, whatever we plant in our hearts and in our lives, that’s what we’re going to harvest.

So, if we keep planting kindness, patience, and faithfulness, we’re going to see something good come from it. But if we plant things like anger, selfishness, or negativity, well, that’s what’s gonna grow.

True Girl, you’ve only just planted kindness into your relationship in the Mom+Daughter Kindness Challenge. It could take some time to see something grow from it.

Dannah: So true. You know what? Now, let’s zoom in on Galatians 6:9. Let me read it again: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Staci: Let’s look at the part that says "at just the right time."

Sometimes we want instant results. Like, “Okay, God, I was nice for a whole three days—where’s my reward?!”

But God’s timing is way better than ours. When a farmer plants a seed, he doesn’t sit there the next morning like, “Why isn’t this blueberry bush ready yet?” He knows it’s gonna take months before he sees the harvest.

And when it comes to berries, each year there is more and more of ’em. But, ya gotta wait for it.

Dannah: And the same is true for kindness. We don’t always see the results right away, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t working.

Staci: Yes! So, if you’ve been doing the Mom+Daughter Kindness Challenge and you’re feeling like “IT’S NOT WORKING!!”—don’t give up! Your kindness is planting seeds, and at just the right time, something beautiful is gonna grow.

Dannah: True Girl, kindness is a long-term heart change, not just a one-week fix. This doesn’t have to be the end of your kindness challengeIt can be the beginning!

Staci: Speaking of beginning, I’m beginning to get really so excited about the True Girl Pop Up Parties happening all across the country this year.

Dannah: Staci, I can barely sit still—I am so excited about it. I mean, I couldn’t be more excited if it were a national donut giveaway!

Staci: Woah! I know that’s big, because you love your donuts, Dannah!

Dannah: I do! We are coming to Pennsylvania, California, Texas, and Wisconsin! And I can’t wait to meet all the moms and daughters who are listening right now! At each Pop-Up Party Weekend, I’ll be leading the hands-on workshop to learn the 4Z Method of Bible study! You’re going to love it. Plus, there’s the worship, the games, and the mom+daughter time—it’s gonna be an unforgettable experience.

Staci: True Girl, friends, if you haven’t signed up for a True Girl Pop-Up Party yet—what are you waiting for?! Find one near you by visiting MyTrueGirl.com.

Claire: When you visit the website, check out the True Girl Subscription Box, too. Our Bee Kind Box is shipping now. But in every single box you’ll find Daily devos just for tweens and A mom+daughter date. 

In this box, it’ll help you to start the Kindness Challenge. And there are always sweet things like: 

• A honey lollipop 
• Bee lip gloss to remind her to keep her words sweet 
• True Girl kindness cards to spread encouragement
•  The Bee Kind poster with thirty days of creative kindness ideas and daisy stickers to track her progress! It’s never too late to start a mom+daughter kindness challenge!

That’s all for this season!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness!

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