Choose Kindness

I woke up this morning still exhausted. Just tired! And I don’t feel well at all! I love being a Marching Band mom but it’s definitely taking its toll on me. Between the away game on Friday night and the competition on Saturday where I sat out in the cold for hours, I’m just pooped.

Not to mention this week coming up is going to be a doozy! Parade on Wednesday night and we won’t get home until around 10:30 pm. Concert on Thursday night. Then Friday, we have to have the kids at the school at 5:10 am. Yup. You read that right. Then they go allll day, with a game Friday night with a 10:30 pm dismissal only to turn around and have to be back at 8:30 am on Saturday for a double header, returning to the school at 10:30 or 11 pm. I wrote that as a run on sentence just so you could feel my pain. Not to mention, I have a big event at work this week. So between the prep and execution of that plus all the marching band stuffs, I’m pre-exhausted.

When I’m sleepy, I’m not a nice person. I just want to be left alone so I put up all kinds of shields and walls and defenses that all say KEEP OUT! While I was in the car this morning on the way to drop Amaya off at school, I was crafting my plan for erecting today’s signs. I thought about having mean face today or being short with people or straight up ignoring them. I even thought about putting up a literal sign at my cubicle. I just don’t want to be bothered!

Almost as soon as I went through the list in my head, the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder like, “Don’t you do that! Be kind today.”

After all of this internal dialogue, Amaya says, “Mom, if someone talks to me on Friday, I’m gonna stab them with my key!”

I shouldn’t laugh, but I found it quite amusing that she and I were in the middle of the same internal battle. Exhausted and frustrated. Also raising her shows me me all the time and it’s creepy!

My reply to her was what the Holy Spirit told me, “Choose Kindness!”

“Kindness is love on display”

My Pastor

Everyday, every moment, we have a choice. Our choice should be to push past how we feel and to exhibit the love of Christ. As believers, it’s our responsibility to show others Christ and the easiest way to do that is by simply being kind. The beautiful thing is that the Holy Spirit helps us. According to Galatians 5, one of fruit of the Spirit is kindness. So even when we don’t have it to be kind, He produces kindness in and through us. This comes from His strength, not ours.

Colossians 3:12-14 says

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.“

Clothe yourself with kindness. Just like you pick out your outfit, paying special attention to which pants match your shirt and which accessories you’d prefer all the way down to which perfectly accent the aesthetic you’re going for. Just as meticulous as you are about making sure every hair is in place before you walk out the door, make sure you put on your kindness.

The scripture goes on to say that we should make allowances for each other’s faults. Instead of being quick to be irritable and put up walls and defenses (points to self), make an allowance for the faults for others. Give them the grace you’d want if it were you.

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

Philippians 4:5

I love how Paul drives the point home by reminding us of the forgiving patience of the Lord and how many times He forgives and excuses all my annoying idiosyncrasies. He doesn’t get short with me nor does He put up walls because He wants me to leave Him alone. If He can forgive me for the things I’ve done, how dare I be impatient and short and irritable with others?

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most familiar passages of scripture on love. It begins by saying that love is patient and KIND. Love is not irritable.

My goal today, and everyday is to choose kindness. I want to display the love of Christ and to be gentle with others. Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

Let’s be kind and gentle, intentionally sharing the love of the Lord with all that we encounter. “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

Choose Kindness today. I’d love to hear how you intentionally chose to display the love of Christ to others. Leave a comment below and inspire someone else with a great idea!