Have I been a kind person today?

As January rolls to an end ,many of us are questioning our dedication to fulfill those New Year’s resolutions we made just a few short weeks ago. Have you been sticking to your diet? Saving your money like you promised yourself you would?I didn’t make any resolutions this year, instead, I made goals for myself. My first goal was to be kind. Now, many of you may find this to be silly and just quit reading this article, and that’s fine, but take a moment to think back and ask yourself “am I a kind person?”A few weeks ago I was in the kitchen putting food up for lunch the next day. I was banging dishes around and mumbling under my breath, when my mother, who was staying with us over the holiday’s, looked at me and told me that if I couldn’t do something with a kind heart then I shouldn’t do it at all. WHAT? I was tired, had been up since 4 a.m. doing the laundry and picking up the house. I had worked all day then went and sat through a two hour meeting and had just got home. I was in no mood to hear about how unkind I was while cleaning the kitchen. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how right my mom was. I wasn’t doing those things with a kind heart. In fact, I sometimes get so angry at being the only person who cleans and does the laundry, I feel as though I’m the only person who knows how to put a new bag in the empty trash can. But do I have to be hateful? No. Of course not. So I asked myself what was causing this unkindness within me?Kindness is defined as being a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. Kindness is known as a virtue and is often seen as helping someone in need in return for nothing. When was the last time I had enjoyed being a kindhearted person?The more I thought about my mom’s words, the more I realized that I was beginning to lose my ability to be kind. I deal with people on a daily basis. Some of those individuals are nice and very helpful, others snub their noses and treat me with disdain because of my job. That’s right, my job. My job does not define me as an individual. My job is just that, my job. It is a paid position of regular employment. It is not who I am when I’m off the clock, but that disdain was leaking into my soul and I wasn’t letting it go. I was letting others attitudes towards my occupation cloud my attitude while at home with my loved ones. So I promised myself then and there that no matter what, I would show kindness to those around me. And I must say, so far so good. Each day I find a Bible verse or a quote to use as motivation to help remind me to have a kind heart. On my desktop at work the word KIND is my background. It’s a reminder that no matter what I am facing or how I am feeling, I must have kindness within me. I’ll end with my verse for today and maybe you’ll take a moment to reflect and ask yourself the same questions I did. Have I been kind to someone lately? “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” - Proverbs 31:26 KJV