One gift we can give ourselves is to be kind to everyone we meet. 

One of my favorite Twitter accounts is @chrchcurmudgeon. His post today is appropriate for our discussion.

On waking, I feel mean;
I must try to be kinder.
So go, you little bean,
down into the grinder.

Coffee has a way of making many of us nicer than we would be otherwise, doesn’t it?

A medical test yesterday morning required twelve hours without caffeine. This is fine since I only have coffee first thing in the morning unless something shifts my day like having a medical test first thing in the morning. 

I was able to navigate yesterday’s experience with kindness in spite of my lack of caffeine. The medical tech who led me to the testing area is named Stephanie. When she told me her name, I said, “Ah, the Crown!” She replied that many people don’t know that. 

The test require me to lie on a table which was then moved through a giant donut. A recorded voice told me when to breathe in and hold my breath. It did this three times. On the second attempt, I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered being a kid and seeing how long I could hold my breath. 

When Stephanie came in after the test, she said, “That went well, and you even smiled.” I didn’t realize she could see that. 

It is possible, not likely perhaps, to be nice to everybody and smile even without caffeine. I wouldn’t attempt it with regularity and take unnecessary risks, however. 

Israel’s history took a hard wrong turn in this chapter. If two men had practiced kindness, maybe had it as one of their core values, history could have been written very differently. If these men had honored God and served others, two long slogs into destruction could have been averted.

Who will you be kind to today and thereby shift their history and yours? 

What would it take for everyone you meet to anticipate kindness whenever they encounter you?

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I will live in such a manner that others anticipate kindness.

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Our Father, root out the rudeness in my life. Replace it with kindness. Empower me to be kind to everyone I meet. Amen.