In a world that is filled with unkind people, why
not be kind? It costs you nothing. I
consider myself relatively nice, so whenever I have a run in with someone mean,
unpleasant, or just straight up rude, it blows my mind. I’m not pretending I’m
perfect, because I’ve had days when I didn’t feel like being kind, but I tried my best to work through it and do
better. It amazes me the way some people treat people sometimes, and I wonder
how many people grew up knowing the Golden Rule? You know, treat others the way you want to be treated. I think many people
may have missed that and it definitely shows. I can personally testify that
the Lord has tested me many times in this area, just to help me improve my
character. It’s not easy being kind in an unkind world but as a believer, it’s
often necessary to do so. It’s a
kingdom representation thing. But if I can keep it real for a moment –
sometimes, some people piss me off so bad I actually want to flip stuff over,
however, I can’t do that. I’m certain the Lord wouldn’t be pleased. While I’d
like to imagine a world where most people are kind, I’m realistic about what
I’m up against. So, when you go out into the world today, be kind, whether you
may feel like it or not. You’ll be
doing yourself and others a tiny favor that can make a huge difference.
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...