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?
Liz Galvano has been writing since she was a little girl. Her stories combine old style adventure and romance with a dash of humor. She loves family, food, animals, and all things Italian. Liz lives with her husband Jeff, two rambunctious dogs, two entitled cats, and a horse who thinks she’s a princess.
Gail Johnson 