Be kind...Everyone is Hurting

Broken marriages, wanting to get married, abused children, false accusations, loneliness, declining health, death, fear of death, family trouble, sending your baby off to war, doesn't sleep, a vehicle that won't work, preparing to serve the Lord in another country, lost libido, opposition, the unknown, death, loss, grief, self focusedness, adultery, forgetfulness, unable to speak what's on your mind, disinterest, change, too many children, can't have children at all, lack of connection, don't know Jesus, surgery, chronic pain, constant fatigue, finances, depression, anxiety, guilt, shame, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, cancer, sinus infections, arthritis, in the hospital during Christmas, rebellious teens, foolish children, struggling parents, lost sense of purpose, miscommunication, cold, parentless, defenseless...

Just to name a few of the burdens those around us are carrying...

Ever heard the saying, "Hurting people hurt others"  I would add to that,  "they don't have too!"

I was once in walgreens looking for valentine gifties for my lovey children when a woman came to stand beside me.  Being the social creature God has made me, I struck up a brief conversation with her and let her know if I was in her view to just let me know and i would gladly move...She stopped and stared at me with a puzzled look on her face. "why are you being so nice?"  She proceeded to tell me how she was making funeral arrangements and her day had been terrible, full of rude people.
Perhaps she was just encountering a normal day but combined with a heavy burden, the lack of kindness was wearing her down even further.
This is one of the reasons I work so hard at teaching my kids manners.  It is an opportunity to share a little Jesus love with a weary soul.  
I told the lady that I really am not that nice.  I am human but God has done a work in me through His son Jesus.  Plain and simple when yielded to Him Jesus makes me nice.  We ended with a hug.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse