Today I’m not going to talk about health or business. I’m going to talk about Kindness.
After watching my daughter and a few friends be so hard on themselves, I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve tried to do over the last several months.
I’ve had several personal situations in the last year that brought out the worst in me. I was feeling anger, resentment and bitterness on a daily basis and it was literally eating my soul. That is no way to live and I have to assume that many of you out there have experienced the exact same thing. It’s not fun.
It’s amazing at how we appreciate the good when we’ve experienced the bad.
One morning, after a long night awake and filled with exhaustion and anxiety, I made a decision. After much prayer, I realized the only way to have peace was to let those situations go.
I feel sure the people involved never thought twice about me, yet I was thinking about them daily. I had to let God take it and handle it. I had to trust that He would. After I made that decision, it was amazing how much better I felt.
But, it was still hard to get back to enjoying life.
What made it easier? Kindness. I hadn’t been overly kind to anyone in months. I hadn’t been open to receiving kindness either.
Well, once the anxiety was gone, I started making it a daily goal to be kind to someone. Over time, I almost felt like miracles were happening! I really took in those times when someone was kind to me as well. I appreciated it so much.
If you follow me on Facebook you’ll find that I work hard to bring kind words to others. As I write those words, they help me too! I know they’ve been helpful to people because of the sweet notes and comments that I get. We all need to be reminded of how God works in our lives.
I want to encourage you, no matter what you are going through, to pray and be open to change. Be open to showing and receiving kindness. Be kind to a stranger. You never know how that simple act will make all the difference in the world.
I have to share one more story. I was having a really bad morning and I decided to treat myself to Starbucks. When I say really bad, I mean I felt like the world was crowding in around my shoulders. I had cried and prayed for change.
As I got up to the window to pay, the clerk says to me “The person in front of you paid for your tea this morning and they wanted me to tell you to have a blessed day!”.
Ok, I felt for the clerk at that very moment because I burst out in tears and an uncontrollable sob. I’m crying right now writing this. Never had I felt God more than in that moment. After all the praying I had done, a complete stranger and angel showed me how much God loved me.
It was one of the most powerful moments in my life. It changed so much for me.
It made me want to be that blessing to others. Show a little kindness. It may not seem like much to you at the time but you never know how the person on the other end will be impacted.
When God nudges you to compliment someone or smile at someone or pay for someone’s coffee…DO IT! There’s a reason you felt that nudge.
You can also be kind to yourself. That is exactly what I talked to my daughter about. Be grateful for your blessings and list them out. Say kind words about yourself to yourself. Realize your gifts and feel great about them, after all, they were a gift from God.
I’d love to hear your stories of how kindness as made a difference in your life. Whether it was you showing some kindness to someone else or someone showing it to you. Please comment and share.
I pray you have a blessed day!
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