Read
Proverbs 12:25 (NIV)
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

Reflect
Do you have someone in your family circle or circle of friends that has a harsh tongue or critical spirit? Sometimes the words that come from that kind of person do not bother us too much, other times they can cut very deeply. Recently I had to sit down with a family member and remind them that they should always be kind.

Proverbs speaks about how a kind word can lift our spirit. If you have a friend who does this for you, or if people have offered a kind word at the right time in your journey, you know the value of this proverb. It is one way in which an anxious heart can lose some weight.

Many of us have been anxious with the onset of COVID-19. I hope that most of us have had the joy of a friend or family member that has spoken a kind word at a difficult or low time. So, here is a question we should all ask ourselves: To whose anxious heart do I listen and can offer a word of encouragement? Am I the person who will go to see how others are doing and feeling? If we all waited for someone else to be that kind of friend, none of us would ever receive the kind word this proverb speaks about.

Here is the interesting thing about being that kind of person. The more we step out to be kind and encourage someone else the more we feel we are doing ministry for Jesus. Even when our hearts are heavy with some of our own concerns, we can lift their spirits and our own when we are involved in ministering hope and joy. Be a kind word in a dark and dreary time in our history.

Pray
Lord thank you for all the times your Holy Spirit has encouraged my heart.
Please help me to offer kindness and encouragement to someone today, in your name. Amen.

Being Kind

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