“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

(Ephesians 4:32 ESV)

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

(Ephesians 4:29 ESV)

According to google, kindness is “the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.”

How do you treat others? Do you treat them they way you want to be treated? What if Jesus treated all of us the way He was treated? I don’t know if any of us would like it. I personally don’t care for pain, especially the kind Jesus had to endure. Could you keep from crying at the hateful things that were said to and about Jesus?

I have always been tender hearted and can get my feelings hurt easily. I am getting better, though. I now stop and think before speaking back something I can never take back. Words can hurt more than if you cut yourself with a knife or a paper cut. Ouch. But just a kind word can diffuse a hostile situation. A smile goes a long way.

I braved the brutally cold wind yesterday to go get a few groceries. Not many people were smiling. So I decided I would. It was amazing how many people responded back to my smile and a friendly good morning. A short conversation even happened. It is so much easier to cut someone down who is not being nice to you. But just think. A kind word or a smile may be all that person needs to change their day.

So give away your smiles and kind words and see how many you get back. You might just be surprised.

Have a great day, and stay warm.

Kathy Keller
Writer and Prayer warrior with Answers2Prayer Ministries
If you would like to receive daily inspirational messages from Kathy Keller, click here  and put “devotional” in the subject bar.