PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• It’s a balmy 18 degrees at my house this morning and the idea of stepping outside into the cold is enough to make me want to dive back into the warm covers of bed and tell today, “Nope. Not doing it.”
I know, I know…
The midwesterners of Chicago would think my weather is a heat wave compared to the -19 degrees they have going on…
As would my Cincinnati in-laws who are facing 5 degrees at the moment.
But I’m a Southern girl and low-30s is frigid enough for me.
I’m ready for sunny days and temperatures in the mid to high 70s.
It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game, isn’t it?
After all, we all have our own unique experiences and we tend to look at our circumstances as being hard.
But when we put things into perspective beside what REAL issues look like, we’ve got it pretty good.
I don’t mean to diminish any challenges you and your family may be facing, but the truth is — someone in the world would love to have your problems.
That’s why when we interact with one another, keeping a verse like Ephesians 4:32 in mind is so important.
It says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
This is my verse of the year, based on my word of the year, “Forgive.”
But the other element of this verse is simple kindness.
We don’t have to like each other to be kind.
We don’t have to understand each other to be kind.
Our emotions are irrelevant when it comes to extending kindness.
We don’t know what other people are going through and we can’t make assumptions about their challenges or whether they are worthy of the effort of our kindness.
Maybe you see their definition of challenge and think they are being overly dramatic.
It really doesn’t matter what we think; it shouldn’t impede our ability to be kind.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the reminder that simple kindness isn’t expensive nor is it difficult.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you show kindness to everyone, and to leave personal opinions and assumptions out of the equation so that your hand of kindness can be freely given without hesitation or reservation.
