Here's is my entry in response to this week's prompt "Identifying people ".
Kindness is one of the most beautiful things we can give to another person. Sometimes, a simple act of kindness can change someone's day, restore their hope, or even make a difficult situation a little easier. But what happens when we extend that kindness to someone who doesn't genuinely need it, appreciate it, or deserves to receive it? That is when kindness becomes misplaced. It can leave us feeling disappointed, used, and questioning whether we should have helped in the first place. But the real lesson is not to stop being kind, but to learn how to balance a good heart with wisdom and healthy boundaries.
There was a time I went out of my way to help someone when I was still in the college.
I met her in a GST class.
She constantly complained about how hard life had become. She couldn't afford food, she was struggling with her bills, and according to her, she had nobody to turn to except her widowed mother. Because I genuinely cared about her, I started helping whenever I could.
I didn't have much too on my side.I even told her to come and stay with me since she didn't have a permanent place to stay.
There were times I even had to sacrifice the little I have just to make her comfortable. I even informed my mom about her, so that whenever she shops for my groceries,she can do it for two.
And my mom being a kind person too accepted.
I wasn't doing it because I
expected praise or repayment. I simply believed that if you have the ability to make someone's burden lighter, you should.
Then one day, I discovered the truth.
The same person I had been helping was actually doing quite well. She had been spending money on things she didn't need while deliberately making herself appear helpless whenever she needed something from others.
The mom do send her foodstuffs, but she rather keep them in her church member's house.
That discovery hurts.
Not because I regretted helping her, but because I realized that the kindness I had offered from My heart had been taken for granted.
For a while, I became very cautious about her and helping people in general. I started questioning everyone's intentions.
Eventually, I learned something important: someone misusing your kindness doesn't make your kindness foolish.
We shouldn't allow one person's dishonesty to turn us into bitter people. But we should also learn to combine kindness with wisdom.
Sometimes, helping someone means giving them what they need. Other times, it means knowing when to step back.
And perhaps that is one of the hardest lessons about being a genuinely kind person: you can have a good heart and still need boundaries.
I'm happy that I didn't allow that experience to make me stop being kind.
Thanks for stopping by.
Photo was generated from chatgpt.
