Carissa was having one of those days. Instead of hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock, she had turned it off. Now the kids were late for school, she was late for work, and the tone for the day was one mad rush — emphasis on the mad. 

As the day wore on, she thought about her impatience and frustration with her children as everyone got dressed and grabbed a granola bar on the way out the door. It wasn’t their fault the family was running behind, and she regretted sending them to school with tension, instead of hugs and kisses.

Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

Of all the lessons we teach our children, kindness stands out. We have an opportunity to show patience, humility, and God’s love to colleagues, classmates, neighbors, and friends — and the people in our lives learn more from watching how we behave, than they do from just being told what to do. 

We have a choice in how we treat others, and God asks us to approach the people around us with love. When Carissa arrived home from work, the first thing she did was apologize to the kids for the cranky way their day began, and let them know kindness matters morning, noon, and night — even when we’re running late.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you for the wisdom the Bible teaches us about kindness. Help us to be patient when we’re short on time, and to be an example of your love in every situation — even when circumstances fall short of perfect. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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