Christmas is just
a week away! Can you believe it? I can’t!
Time has just flown by. I’m not
even finished Christmas shopping yet.
I’m usually on it, but not this year.
I’ve been shopping later than usual and as a result I’ve been bumping
into a lot of grumpy shoppers and drivers.
It’s crazy! Everywhere I go I’m
afraid of getting hit… by other cars driving wildly, by shopping carts being
rushed through the store to grab last minute deals, or actual shoppers who are
pushing their way through the aisles unaware of those around them. It doesn’t seem very fun or festive to me.
Gifts… what do
you get those hard to buy people?
Whatever you end up getting is never what they like, want, or need. You know those second hand stores, thrift
shops, and Good Will stores have to be flooded after Christmas with unwanted
items… or maybe everyone waits until their spring cleaning days to unload it
all. What a waste!
I’ve been
thinking hard on this and I think I have come up with one gift everyone will
like. It’s a must have item for
everyone! So… be sure to add it to your
Christmas list if you haven’t done so already.
It’s something that will make a long lasting impact on all who receive
it, yet it cost us nothing.
What is it? It’s something we can all do that is free and
easy for most if they try… BE KIND! I
know it sounds silly, but how many of us look around while busying ourselves
with the holidays to notice those around us.
Do you see the
lonely ones who are celebrating this season with out a loved one this
year? Do you see those families who are
being ripped a part by divorce?
Christmas will never be the same for them. Do you see the sick who are struggling
through wondering if this year will be their last? Do you see the overwhelmed people looking for
the perfect gifts all the while drowning in a sea of debt? The broken, the hurting, the hopeless, the
grieving, the lost… they are all there.
What can you do
to reach them, love them, see them this holiday season? BE KIND!
Ask God to help you be engaged in what is going on around you instead of
being consumed with your list of things to do before Christmas comes. Ask God to put people on your heart to pray
for, send an encouraging note to, buy a meal for, visit, or call. BE KIND every chance you get! During this season especially kindness is
rare.
“In a season filled with
selfishness,
Choose to BE KIND!”
Recently I went
to the post office to mail out some Christmas packages. I was hoping to mail them sooner, (because I
knew the lines would be long at this time of year) but I got sick with the
flu. Normally it probably wouldn’t be a
problem for most, but our post office is very small. The lobby area is pretty much a narrow
rectangle. There are a bunch of individual
post office boxes around it and a window where one lady sits to assist you. While we wait for our turn in a single file
line (that runs from the check out window to the door) people are coming and
going like crazy. They are checking
their mail boxes (in front or behind you), grabbing boxes or envelopes to
purchase, and dropping off mail. Space
is invaded often. It is not a place for
grumpy people to congregate… that’s for sure!
I may have been a
little grumpy that day from being sick. However,
I didn’t act on my grumpiness, I just held it all in. I was frustrated! My mind was going wild with silent comments …
“This is taking WAY too long!” “Isn’t
there anyone else back there who can help us?” “How dare that lady send out 8
boxes now!” “Ugh!!!” I didn’t feel good and I was feeling very
impatient.
After a few
moments, I noticed a stir at the front of the line. A young adult was ushered to a table near by
to finish getting his box ready to go out.
He had a book he was trying to mail and nothing was ready. He was completely unprepared. I was shocked to see the people in line jump
into high gear to assist him. One lady
gave him bubble wrap, another packing tape, and the man in front of me offered
to help him wrap it all up to go. I was
surprised at their kindness and a little ashamed at my grouchy demeanor. Even though I was sick, I still needed a lot
more KINDNESS in my heart.
Did you know that
“kindness” is a fruit of the spirit? As
we grow in our relationship with God, kindness should naturally flow out of our
lives. If you are short on kindness
lately, you might want to check in with your heavenly father. He is a great gardener of our hearts. He knows just what to do to get things
growing right inside of us.
Galatians 5:22-23 says…
Did you notice how KINDNESS is packed in their
between patience and goodness? I don’t
think that was by accident. I don’t know
about you, but sometimes it takes a lot of “patience” to be KIND. What about goodness? What does that mean? It can be defined as an
“uprightness in heart and life”. If each
fruit builds on the next (one naturally leading to the other), then we can assume
that we can’t truly be good until we are first patient and KIND.
Do you want to
see a spiritual revival break out in your city?
Stir up KINDNESS and let it grow in your heart and overflow to
others. Let’s be Jesus with skin on this
holiday season! Give the gift of BEING
KIND!
Living to leave a
legacy,
Julie
