Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It might be a little chilly in the mornings still, but I watched the Master wake up the world from outside on the front porch anyway and it didn’t take long for me to forget the outside temperature. He spoke to my heart with His Word, and He comforted me with His Presence, and His Kindness overwhelmed every part of me. Over and over again the message of Kindness was driven into my heart because that’s what He had for me on this new day. To be One of His Children means to strive to take-on His Nature, so when it comes to things like Kindness; it’s big deal. There’s no doubt that when the Living God sends a strong Message to me, then it has a Big Purpose FOR me too…and not just for every other Suffering Soul that comes to my mind. Isn’t that the way you look at the Lessons too?

It can be so easy to turn to someone else’s Life and to look for ways that a Strong Message would be a good idea for them, while we ignore the Warning Light for ourselves. But if we’re serious about taking on His Nature in every way we possibly can, then it’s not everybody else that we need to be worried about…it’s us. I’ll never fully master the Nature of my God…that’s not even a possibility…but it won’t be for lack of trying everyday to be the kind of woman He Created me to be. Things like Kindness seem to be a “no-brainer” when we first consider our own nature, but things like Kindness are put through the Real Test when other people aren’t being kind to us. When we encounter rude people, or when we deal with “incompetency” and we believe that we “deserve” better treatment; do we reflect Kindness to the other? When people are rude to us whether we know them or not, do we return the rude OR do we Reflect Kindness in the face of the rude? When we’re lied to, or when we’re cheated; do we Reflect Kindness in the face of the one doing the wrong? When politics are at stake, and we’re faced with other people working so hard to do harm to ones we support; do we Reflect Kindness to the “other side”? When we’re ridiculed for our Faith, or we’re expected to sit down and shut up about the Living God; do we reflect Kindness to the ones doing the attacking that most likely don’t even know Who He is? Reflecting Kindness is easy when we’re in a kind environment…almost anybody can pull that off. But it’s when we’re mistreated, and insulted, and lied to, and cheated that our Kindness is MOST needed in a dark world…and THAT’S when the Light of our Faith Shines for all the world to see…extending Kindness to others who we believe “don’t deserve it”. After all, isn’t that what Kindness looks and feels like from the Throne of a Mighty God? He’s Kind to us, even when we don’t deserve it.

I’ve been accused of being a “door mat” more times than I can count….but there’s nothing weak or volatile about me at all. I can debate with the best of them, and I can hold my own in any situation. But Life isn’t about “being right” or getting the treatment we THINK we deserve…it’s about how we handle Life when it’s not so easy to handle that really matters in the Big Picture. I know the importance of my Witness in a dark world, and I can always find Kindness for others who aren’t so kind to me IF I remember the High Stakes involved. When I hold onto the fact that it’s the way I treat the other person, or the way I handle a bad situation, that can have an Everlasting Impact on the one I’m dealing with; I find the Kindness and all those other Characteristics of the Living God at my fingertips to tap if I’m willing and IF I never quit striving to have the Right Heart for Him. There’s no situation on the planet that can’t be diffused with Kindness…but it takes dying to your own agenda and being willing to Shine for His that makes the Biggest Difference of all. I have softened the hardest of hearts just by the way I’ve handled a conflict or a wrong because my Kindness was unmistakable in the midst of very difficult circumstances. That kind of Kindness is ONLY possible when we take on the Nature of a Kind and Loving God. I’ll be extending Kindness today no matter how I’m wronged, and no matter who does the wrong to me, and the Light of my Faith will Shine for ALL the world to see…if I Remember Him and I don’t lose sight of my Purpose, that is.

How about you?