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.
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?
Gail Johnson 
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.
Well said, Jeanna! So nice to meet you! The times we mess up are the times that stick in our heads. Thanks for stopping in and commenting! 🙂
Gail, I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award, you can find all the info here:https://captivedreamswindow.wordpress.com/2017/07/17/6630/. Blessings~
Robbye, you are precious and I am honored to have made your list, my sweet friend. I will check it all out and follow the instruction when I can get to my computer. Blessings on your week! ❤
Thank you, Gail,
There is no hurry, I took a few days to get to it, too.
Thank you for all your kindness and support (and, of course, your wonderful blog).
Hugs and blessings, my friend~ ❤
❤❤❤ Same to you!!
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! ❤❤❤
This post made me smile. We need more of this kind of love in the world today. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you, yourbestbyfaith! Thank you stopping by and reading! ☺ Blessings
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. ❤
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
Well said, Jill. That could go for actions too. It broke my heart to hear a young girl’s life was taken because of road rage this past week.
Thank you for commenting! ❤
Oh yes, that was such a heartbreaking story…such a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of her. ❤
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.
Amen, Carole! Take a breath and hand it to God. Well said! ❤
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.
I agree, Mimi! We have lost the art of listening. Thanks for commenting! ❤
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. ❤
Oh, how we need this! Love the picture of Rambo, too. I hope he’ll be back. 🙂
Thanks, Betty! I agree. There is too much anger in our world. Glad you liked Rambo! 😊