I had written earlier of how a little bit of kindness could make such a huge difference in anyone's life. A smile, a hug, a kind word, or a simple look of love can lift up the saddest of spirits. Just as those who give a little kindness can uplift, those who give a little rudeness can pull down. You're in a rush; you're impatient; you're short tempered; you are outright rude. Maybe it was just a little glare. Maybe you chewed out your cashier at the store. Maybe you barked at your children. We all have our moments. As I was reflecting on how much those little kindnesses meant to me, I started thinking on the unkind actions of others too. How can one more unkind act effect us? Truly for me it was the straw that broke the camels back. I lost my temper over something quite trivial. It probably seemed odd to a complete stranger. He doesn't know me. He does not know the day I had or the other things I have been through today. How often am I the straw for someone else instead of the act of love and kindness. Can we slow down enough to make the better choice? When the woman with the issue of blood came to Jesus, she did not speak to anyone. She probably had been passed over as unimportant for a very long time. Why would Jesus want to talk to her? 'No, If I can just touch His clothes I will be healed.' No need to bother Jesus. But Jesus knew her. He saw her. Jesus stopped what he was doing to heal her. How special! I love that story. I may be too impatient to hear you have a real need. I may be too selfish to realize you are in pain. Jesus will never make that mistake.
As a kid I watched my parents fight about different things. I don't really have any other parents to compare them to so I can't really say whether they were normal fights couples have or not. I couldn't even say what most of them were about except the ones that were about me. We only ate as a family on holidays. My father came home late so we kids ate without him. I do remember spending time with him in the evening before I went to bed so it couldn't have been that late. My own husband gets home a little later because of his job commute so we eat late every night. But home schooling has given us the ability to be more flexible than my Mom was able to be. We had school early the next day. As I got older, I remember my Father being home less and less and the fights seemed to intensify. I remember one night when I was thirteen. I could hear them yelling through the wall. My mom found me crying and I told her I didn't want them to get a divorce. She told me...
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