The Gift of Kindness
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing respect. Romans 12:10
What does it cost to show kindness? By offering a helping hand, an encouraging word or even a smile to an overworked sales cashier, how expensive is that! Most of us would say that the price is minimal but the value can’t be measured. In our hustle and bustle, if we could just stop the decorating, card writing, shopping and partying for a moment we might be able to reflect on this special word.
It truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Once you start it (with sincerity in your heart), it will bubble over onto others and they in turn will catch it. Kindness is contagious!
Somehow, I find it very sad that we think more about this during the holiday season. Why is it so difficult to show kindness to others throughout the entire year? There are probably a bazillion excuses that we could use but none of real significance.
I mean really, is it going to set you back to let an older driver have the open parking space next to the store? How about using the muscles around your mouth to create a smile? Hopefully it won’t be a painful experience for you. Even holding the door open for a frazzled mom who is corralling four kids and a cart full of groceries is helpful. Kindness comes in all shapes and sizes.
Maybe you need to buy gifts for a corporate downsizing victim whose children will have a skimpy assortment of things under the tree. How about saying kind words to your family? We all know that the holidays have a tendency to deplete our patience and strum on our last nerve.
Most of us have been alive long enough to recognize Grinch symptoms. Let’s try something new this year. Just be kind! No matter who says or does what to annoy you, don’t retaliate. Give them the gift of kindness. Pass it on! You won’t regret it and neither will they.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the kindness that You shower down on us. Help us to make it more contagious everyday here on earth. AMEN.