Go Out Of Your Way To Go Out Of Your Way!

How many times a day do you make it a point to go out of your way to be kind to someone? And I don't mean paying for someone's fast food behind you in line, or paying for someone's groceries...but I do mean just making it a point to be extra kind, hold a door, ask someone how they are...and then actually stopping and listening for an answer...things like this. The daily common courtesies can be lost by us when we get wrapped up in our busy schedules, or our own problems, or even just our own thoughts. When I think about what it would have been like to walk around with Jesus I can't help but think how welcoming he probably was to people. Never making them feel like He had someplace else to be or they were taking up to much of His time. I would imagine that He was kind and just had a way of making people feel that He cared when He spoke to them. So why can't we be more like this?
A verse that comes to my mind when I think about how God would want us to be kind to anyone that crosses out path is Ephesians 4:32. The first part of it states "You must be kind to each other. Think of the other person...". In fact the entire second half of Ephesians 4 is a good read on how we are expected to act as we claim to represent Christ. If there is anything the stands out more to a person who is not in a relationship with Jesus, it's when someone who claims to love Jesus is just not pleasant to be around. I mean, how can you claim to be in a close relationship with the one is all about love when you don't even seem to know how to smile at someone, or even act like you like other people, let alone love them?
Our tiny actions can make such a difference in the lives of people each and every day, and they can also open doors of opportunity for us to share the gospel with them. But the first step is always going to be allowing God to show you how to be kind to others in all situations. When God is able to do this He'll be able to grow you as well. There is nothing like being able to overcome a situation you are in so you can reach out and be there for someone else. And that is not to say that we are not allowed to have bad days, of course we are. But this is when we lean on the believers around us and lift each other up. It's another important reason to be included in a body of believers, so you too will have someone there when you need them.
The thing that I really feel like God wants us to get is this; Are you capable of using what God has put in you to show love to others in this lost world...all the time, not just when you "feel" like it? Some days it can be quite challenging. We run into people who are rude, self consumed and sometimes just mean, but this is when we also have the chance to see them as lost, possibly hurting and going through things we have no idea about. We can sometimes so easily forget that one of the reasons the people around us act the way they do is because they are going through things without God, and we are going through things with Him. But let's not forget what that felt like because it will help us relate to why people act the way they do. Then you ask God to give you His eyes of compassion to see them with.
This is not my statement, and it probably isn't going to be the first time you have heard it, but it's very true... "Hurt people, hurt people and healed people help heal people." At one time or another you were that hurting person who didn't know how to react to unexpected kindness, but then you found God....and now it is your turn to be the unexpected kindness that someone else finds in their day today.
God, thank You for Your healing. It is what allows our hearts to become whole again. Help us go out of our way to be what someone else needs today. Holy Spirit be alive in us and teach us how to be kind to those around us, not for the reaction that we might get out of them, but so we can plant seeds and represent Christ in a way that brings Him honor and glory. In Jesus name, Amen