Today I Choose Kindness...

Today I choose kindness. To show kindness through love, patience and by putting others before myself.
We are taught to be kind and treat others as we would like to be treated from a very young age. We have to be taught this because our natural reaction is not always kindness, instead it is frustration, judgment, impatience and harsh words. It's so easy for us to get caught up in our own world, in what we have to get done and forget to be kind, compassionate and loving to others.
Proverbs 12:25 says, "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." It doesn't take much time or effort to say a kind word. Too many kind words go unsaid because we are in a rush. Think about the homeless person on the street, waiting at the stoplight. It's really easy to sit in your car, not make eye contact and ignore their plea for help. We can easily start to judge, wondering if they are really homeless or if they are just out to scam you for your money. The hard thing to get past is that we just have to show kindness, regardless of whether or not we are being scammed. God calls us to show kindness! Proverbs 14:21 says, "He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." Chapter 14 continues on about helping the needy and in verse 31 tells us that "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Do you ever think about a homeless person or even the person in front of you at the store who is taking FOREVER to check out as God's creation? I know that I don't. I instantly go to my human side that is frustrated, annoyed and just wants that person to hurry up. Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:34-46 "'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you fave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" We can't forget that challenge at the end of these verses, "'whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’" That should change our perspective!
Are we looking at those around us and seeing Jesus or are we just seeing a human who must have messed up something big in their life to have to stand on the street corner and beg?
I think that so much of life is about perspective. Do you look at your material things as blessings from God and things that you must be a good steward of or do you see them as a security? We know that the things of this world will fade, but too often we hold on to them tighter than we hold onto our God who can provide for all of our needs.
I think that showing kindness goes beyond strangers or those in need. We have to show kindness to those we come in contact with on a regular basis. It's easy to feel justified in treating someone unkindly because they haven't been nice to us. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 is a great challenge, "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." We are supposed to "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32) I know that I can be really good at being kind on the outside, while thinking very unkind things about someone on the inside. It's easy to hold a grudge, to be angry when we don't get our way and to think about ourselves first. We are called to be kind, to be compassionate, to be loving and to forgive even when we have been wronged. I want to be a person that not only chooses kindness in my actions, but kindness in my heart and thoughts. I want my thoughts and heart to match my actions and I want my first reaction to be kindness.
Today I am going to take the McDonald's gift cards that have been sitting in my desk and put them in my wallet. And I will gladly hand them to the next person I see asking for money. I will also work on not putting so much value on my "things" and be open and willing to allow God to use them in whatever way he chooses.
So today, I choose kindness and I can't wait to see what opportunities I will have to show kindness to those I love and to those I don't know.