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Day 7 | Kindness

A lot of women are just naturally kind.  

It seems to be in their nature to think of nice things to say or nice things to do for someone.  

The hard thing is actually moving our thoughts to action.  

It’s so easy to think of it and put it off until the effectiveness is lost.

When God brings someone to our mind who needs kindness, let’s train ourselves to be quick to obey.

He wants us to show His love, not just think about it.  

He wants us to be His hands and feet here on earth.

He wants us to show kindness in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds.

It read once that “kindness is the oil that soothes the friction of life.”  Isn’t that true?  Simple kindness can alleviate so much turmoil.  

It’s hard to have conflict.  It’s hard to have hate.  It’s hard to have hard feelings.  It’s hard to have much of anything but good in return when there’s kindness.

A helping hand.  

An encouraging word.  

A pat on the back.  

A smile.

That’s kindness.  

Let’s think about kindness.

How has someone shown you kindness?  

I challenge you today to begin showing kindness to someone who causes you strife.  How do their actions change when you’re kind?  

Why not try showing kindness to someone at work that’s difficult to get along with.  How do others change the way they treat this person when they see your kindness?

Or try this.

The next time you’re at the grocery store, look around for a mom with a baby in her cart and a toddler on her hip. When she’s leaving the store, ask if you can help her to the car.  Unload the groceries while she buckles up her children.  And you take the cart back.  When you do this, you’re establishing long-term benefits.  Your heart will feel bigger and she’ll go home with an amazing story.  One of kindness.

And I’ll bet you, she’ll do the same for someone else later on.

If you’re having a hard time physically, financially, at home or at work, I encourage you to show kindness to someone who could never return the favor. Take a young mom’s kids to the park and give her a break.  Wash someone’s car.  Pick up some flowers and take them to an elderly woman who is missing the love of her life.  Or make a point to look people in the eyes and smile.  If you aren’t already, you may one day be a mom.  And when you are, remember, this fruit is yet another one that’s learned by example.  If your actions are kind in front of your children, you will be rewarding the world with kind adults. Children learn from what they see.  It will become a way of life for them as it becomes a way of life for you.

Randomly think of a way to make someone’s life better.   Give out 10 verbal compliments today.  To anyone, for anything.

Start off today’s scripture reading with ‘the parable of the sheep and the goats’ in Matthew 25:31-46.  Ask the Lord to show you someone in your life who has a need that you are or are not filling and ask him to help you begin to see them through His eyes.

You’ll be amazed how immediate the change will be in your heart when you begin to put kindness into action.  

Search the Word for God’s thoughts on kindness.