Practicing Kindness

/ Gail Johnson

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed your holiday.

This month we’re talking about kindness. Do you find it hard to be kind to others?

You know, the person who cut you off when driving to work. The waitress who brought you the wrong order. The lady in the checkout with 100 coupons! The friend who uses and abuses your friendship. That child who can’t seem to get it right. The spouse who continually makes bad choices. I could go on and on. Just add your pet peeve to the list.

Now before you think I’m suggesting that we never defend ourselves or our beliefs, let me clarify. I’m talking about common courtesy that we were taught as children. The kindness we learned about while sitting on a pew or at a school desk.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. 1 Corinthians 13:4 KJV

Love is longsuffering. Love doesn’t fly off the handle.

Love is kind, filled with compassion.

Love doesn’t envy another.

Love doesn’t boast. Love is humble.

Love is not proud or self-centered.

Kindness is…

Webster defines kindness as being kind.

Synonyms for kind include compassionate, considerate, courteous, and friendly.

I don’t know about you, but I think the world could use a lot more kindness. And a lot less speaking every thought that pops into our heads. Imagine what the world would be like if, when we did speak, our words were laced with compassion and humility and a little less pride. When we treat others as we like to be treated every moment of the day, kindness becomes a lifestyle and not just a random act.

 

Rambo 2-1 Seneca 2

This is Rambo. He belongs to my niece. He is a barrel racer. I love taking pictures of him.

Seneca’s statement suggests it would be better if we were unable to speak rather than say the things we often say.

It has been stated that we can say the right thing the wrong way and still be wrong. Hmm… Yes, in the span of our lives we will have to say hard things, but the spirit in which the message is delivered will speak louder and remain longer than the words spoken.

I don’t know about you, but I have room for improvement. The good news is our Father, through the Son’s work at Calvary and the gift of His Spirit, has given us power to overcome. We don’t have to remain the same. We can change. Isn’t that marvelous?

May we all become kinder in our relationship with others.

Click to Tweet: When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people. Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Reflection

Have you ever wished you’d remained silent in certain situations?

23 thoughts on “Practicing Kindness”

  1. You would think that being kind would be easy but unfortunately, we get so caught up in our own drama that we let treating others with kindness fall to the bottom of our list of priorities. I will tell you one thing, I don’t remember the times I was particularly kind to others but the times I was not kind stick with me a lot longer.

  3. Dear Gail, I love the picture of Rambo. ❤ I have had situations where I wished I had been quiet, where I wished I had not been quiet, and where I was glad I was quiet. Mostly though, I can relate to what literary agent Tamela Hancock Murray said once on the Steve Laube Agency blog. She said, "Some of my proudest moments are when I remained silent." 🙂
    Blessings ~ Wendy

    • I agree, Wendy! Every situation calls for a different reaction. Thank you for stopping by and commenting, dear friend. Blessings as you edit your lovely manuscript! ❤❤❤

  5. Love your post, dear Gail. And I’m very benefitted from the reminder! In our hurry-rush world, we need to slow down and be kind to one another, as the Lord does for us.

    • Thank you, Karen. I agree! We do need to slow down. Showing kindness is easy when we are aware of our surroundings. Thanks for stopping by, my precious friend. ❤

  6. What a lovely message, Gail. Being somewhat shy, I tend to do more listening than speaking. One of my favorite quotes has a simple rule we could all follow.
    “Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.” – Bernard Meltzer

  7. Love this post, because it–mostly–affects everyone. I know I needed the reminder today. I find that if I step back, take a deep breath and turn it over to God, knowing he can handle it better than me, then I’m a lot less stressed.

  8. A very special message that everyone should read. 🙂 I have learned over the years that listening first is better than speaking first. Listening is the key to showing kindness.

  9. Guilty!! I may not speak up quickly to that waiter or waitress who brings out my order prepared incorrectly, but I surely “think” my aggravation. I’m working on it, trying to live out the “kindness” lifestyle and dwelling on the positives of every day. So appreciate your sweet, smiling face, Gail, and your (always) kind words of encouragement. Happy Tuesday! Oh, and what a beautiful horse!!

    • Thank you, Tori! You’re not the only one who’s guilty of thinking aggravation! I’ve done my share. Happy Tuesday to you, my precious friend. ❤

Comments are closed.