Something incredible happened at a Dairy Queen drive-thru in Brainerd, Minnesota: People in over 900 cars took part in a “pay it forward” chain.

It began the morning of Thursday, December 3, 2020, with a single kind act from one man and continued into Friday and Saturday. The first customer paid for his order and that of the people in the car behind him. The next patron followed suit. Eventually, over two and a half days, over $10,000 had been spent in this chain of generosity, the store manager told CNN.

“There’s all different types of ways to help people,” the manager said. “I think this touched a lot of people that we didn’t even know it touched, deeper than we know. And you don’t know what’s going on in a person’s life.”

Similar pay-it-forward chains have made the news over the years. Paying for a stranger’s meal is an example of a random act of kindness. Polling shows the average American engages in five generous acts per week, totaling 260 random acts of kindness each year.

Many feel that engaging in good deeds like these is a way to generate good karma. What goes around comes around, right? That is the belief of 84 percent of United States citizens asked by OnePoll on behalf of banking app Chime—nearly 9 in 10 Americans.

Another 84 percent said they will go out of their way to pay it forward whenever possible. This most often comes in the form of a special treat for their loved ones, generous tips or helping neighbors—carrying their groceries, mowing their lawns or shoveling snow from their driveways.

What is karma? Britannica states: “Karma, in Indian religion and philosophy, [is] the universal causal law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of an individual’s existence.” It is a concept in Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

Most people do not think of karma in this way, that every act of kindness will help rebalance a cosmic scale. Instead, they believe in the value of doing good deeds for others, regardless of whether they are rewarded for it. While the average person probably does not consciously associate karma with Indian religion, many do view their deeds through its lens. Good actions generate “good karma” that leads to good outcomes, they think. Bad actions produce “bad karma” and bad outcomes.

Experts point out that the Sanskrit word refers more to a law of consequences than a particular reward or punishment system. But that does not stop many from blaming karma for their problems. Americans attribute bad relationships, losing something, and arguments with others to bad karma. Some feel that when famous politicians or celebrities get engulfed in scandal that this can be attributed to karma. They got what they deserved.

Is karma real? Should it motivate your actions? Or is there an even greater principle that ought to drive your random acts of kindness?

Examining Roots

Karma can seem like a simple, harmless concept. But even briefly examining its roots reveals that the term is much more interwoven with pagan religion than most realize.

Britannica continues: “Karma represents the ethical dimension of the process of rebirth (samsara), belief in which is generally shared among the religious traditions of India. Indian soteriologies (theories of salvation) posit that future births and life situations will be conditioned by actions performed during one’s present life—which itself has been conditioned by the accumulated effects of actions performed in previous lives. The doctrine of karma thus directs adherents of Indian religions toward their common goal: release (moksha) from the cycle of birth and death.”

Hinduismtoday.com states, “Esoterically, karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and all previous lives, all of which determine our future.”

Watching your neighbor’s dog, pulling in their trash bin from the curb, calling an elderly relative and other nice deeds feel like great things to do. But many would be uncomfortable attributing these actions to karma if they knew how closely the concept was tied to eastern religion and reincarnation.

There is another source that endorses the concept of paying it forward without the baggage of paganism: God’s Word.

Biblical Principles

The Bible has much more to say about good deeds and the concept of “what goes around comes around” than you may have realized.

Jesus Christ promoted acts of kindness—random or otherwise—when He taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

In Luke 6:38, He added, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” If we give generously to others, like the man in the drive-thru in Brainerd did, we will also receive generously.

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that when we do good, we can expect good things to happen. Ecclesiastes tells us, “Cast your bread upon the waters: for you shall find it after many days” (11:1). The New Living Translation makes this even clearer: “Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.”

There is also the flip side of this. The Bible reveals that bad actions lead to bad outcomes. The patriarch Job observed, “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (4:8). Solomon wrote, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come” (Prov. 26:2).

Just as a robin or dove does not arrive at its destination without flying there, bad effects do not come randomly. There is a reason for them. Yet it is not the pagan karma concept—it is simply a “cause.” Something we do or do not do that produces an effect.

Romans 11 describes how God works with us in different ways based on our actions: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off” (vs. 22).

Other verses continue to show that the choices we make have real consequences. Paul wrote, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Jesus taught, “Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12).

Karma is not real. Rather you should think of this as the biblical concept ordained by God: that of cause and effect. Right causes lead to right effects, wrong causes lead to wrong effects. The principle is taught throughout the Bible and it can be seen in individual lives as well as in groups and nations.

Cause and Effect

In a Real Truth Personal titled “You Can Prove the Bible’s Authority!”, Editor-in-Chief David C. Pack explained more about cause and effect.

He wrote: “Another proof of Bible authority is the principle of cause and effect. Most live their lives completely unaware of why things either ‘go right’ or ‘go wrong.’ They seem unable to comprehend that what they do, or do not do, has a direct effect on their lives. Most do not know that for every cause there is an effect, and for every effect there is a cause. Scientists understand this principle in physics, but mankind does not apply it spiritually.

“Consider how cause and effect works in life. If you routinely eat too much, you will get sick, or overweight—or both! No mystery. If you drink too much alcohol, you become intoxicated. This could lead to a hangover, being arrested, or even a car accident that could result in injury or death. If you break laws, you could go to jail. This will affect your family, employment opportunities, and your entire future.

“The Bible is also a book about cause and effect—containing hundreds of different laws, each carrying the power of cause and effect for those who keep or break them. Whether one knows every law in the Bible has no bearing on whether breaking them brings punishment. Just as speeding can result in a ticket—whether or not the driver knew the speed limit—those who break God’s laws reap penalties—whether or not they know they are violating specific laws!”

Cause and effect is real, and it is serious. It applies even to small actions like what you have for dinner, what kind of TV shows you watch and the news sources you use, but also bigger matters in life like your chosen career path, who you marry and what holidays or holy days you observe. And it certainly applies to how kind or unkind we are to others.

This explanation of cause and effect is not meant to discourage you from committing kind acts. Instead, knowing the truth of God’s Word should motivate you to become even more generous!

Defining Generosity

Let’s revisit the five generous acts Americans practice each week. What are they? Random acts of kindness include donating money to organizations or charities, volunteering their time to help out friends and family and supporting small or locally owned businesses.

The top three ways Americans define “generosity” include “going out of your way to help someone else,” “giving your time,” and “paying it forward.”

This is very compatible with the Bible. Paul wrote, “Brethren, you have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13).

Acts of paying it forward have real effects on more than those on the receiving end. The data showed that Americans feel better about themselves and their lives overall, plus they feel more confident when they are able to do so. They say intention is key—so every act of generosity benefits the giver as well as the receiver. It could be thought of as a win-win.

This makes perfect sense when we realize that the simple act of giving emulates God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jms. 1:17).

Despite less than half of all Americans currently feeling financially secure, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) consider themselves to be generous. And that is true whether or not there is a financial stake. Being generous and a good person could include donating your time or skills to a cause you really care about or helping out a family member who is going through a tough time.

Several respondents to the OnePoll survey shared personal, anonymous stories of being generous. “[I] opened my home for a friend to move in during a health crisis,” “I overheard a waitress discussing some unexpected bills she was worried about covering so left her a $200 tip,” and “I went to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina to work on restoring houses.”

Remaining anonymous when doing good deeds is also scriptural. Matthew 6 says, “Take heed that you do not your alms [good deeds] before men, to be seen of them: otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when you do alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does: that your alms may be in secret: and your Father which sees in secret Himself shall reward you openly” (vs. 1-4).

While some acts will of course be seen and noticed, especially by the recipient, the recognition should not be what drives us. It is the act of giving itself: A positive cause that leads to a positive effect, first for others but also for yourself.

“These survey results highlight the generous spirit in our country, regardless of what they think about the world around them or their current financial situation. Despite only 43% feeling financially secure, results found that almost two-thirds (65%) are likely to ‘keep the chain going’ and pay for the food of the person behind them in a drive-thru if someone else paid for theirs,” said Sara El-Amine, Vice President of Community at Chime. “We’re encouraged to see that the ‘pay it forward’ spirit is alive and well in this country, despite some of the current economic challenges everyday people are facing.”

Americans are most likely to pay it forward without any prompting necessary. Others are influenced by a good mood or after someone else does something nice for them. Or generosity might strike when a loved one is celebrating a milestone or accomplishment.

No matter what triggers it, results also found that Americans are more than five times more likely to find that their spirits are lifted more when they are able to help someone else out than when someone else helps them out (72 percent versus 13 percent). Remember Christ’s words about how it is more blessed to give than receive.

Even More Generous?

What holds people back from giving? Looking to the future, an astounding 83 percent of respondents believe that they would be even more generous if they were more financially secure. Financial security and progress look different for everyone, but two in five say that financial progress means being able to treat their family and friends or being able to donate to charity.

“Feeling good about your finances can mean more than just adding commas to your bank account. The results further emphasize that everyday people are considering others when managing their own financial progress,” explained Ms. El-Amine. “Someone’s financial situation should not be the thing holding them back from living generously.”

In addition to all the Bible principles we have already examined, God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, promises to bless His followers financially. This allows them to be even more generous. His little-known financial laws open the “windows of heaven” (Mal. 3:10) for those who claim His promises.

Want to know more? Read our booklet End All Your Financial Worries.

This article contains information from The Associated Press.