Kindness

When we first got Virginia, she immediately began showing affection to all of us. Paul and I loved this of course, but Gimli wasn't so sure. She would come try to snuggle up to him for a nap, and he would get up and move, or push her out of the way. He would find a new place to sleep, she'd follow him there, try to cuddle, he'd move, she'd follow him again, and on and on. They'd do this little dance all around the room for hours. She didn't quite get the memo that he wasn't interested, or at least she wasn't deterred by it. Over time, Gimli started to warm up to her little by little. He let her lay next to his dog bed, and then he let her put her head on the dog bed, then before we knew it, they would cuddle on the dog bed even though it was too small for both of them. She won him over with her sweetness and love.

My mom always told me, "Honey draws more flies than vinegar." It's true- people like to be around nice people and don't want to be around mean people. As Christians, it is exceedingly important that we show kindness to others in every situation, no matter how the other person is responding. We are representing Christ to the world that needs Him, and they will associate our attitudes and actions with Him. What a huge responsibility! I love the saying, "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." Why would anyone want to serve the God of a person they don't like or respect? It's also important that we not give up on being kind even when others are not kind in response. Sometimes those who seem the farthest off are often the closest to being ready to trust Christ. We have no idea what's going on in people's lives, what they've experienced, how others have hurt them in the past, and if they are rebelling against God's tugging on their hearts. Unfortunately, many people have been hurt by mean Christians, and therefore we have to be even more kind to them to make up for those negative experiences. It's worth it because every person in the world is irreplaceable and invaluable to God, and if we don't share with them about Jesus' love for them, who will?

I pray that I would be diligent and not give up showing kindness to others like Virginia, so that others might be won over to Jesus because they experienced a little taste of His love for them through me. What an honor that would be!