You Is Kind - Thank You Ms. Stockett, But This Is Different!

The Help.  Saw the movie, read the book.  Enjoyed the story and passed the book along to my mother.  Savored the strong characters.  Ached with their broken hearts, shattered dreams and severe disappointments.  Cheered with their victories, triumphs and personal discoveries.  Life is not always easy or fair, for that matter.  But even when the chips are down, love remains.  Sometimes, I wonder why things seem to be such a struggle down here on earth.  I remember well the song that admonished, "I beg your pardon!  I never promised you a rose garden!"  The radio of my parents played that refrain and apparently, it stuck!  It is true - life is no bed of roses and even when it is, watch out!  Those pretty flowers are home to some very nasty thorns!  Which brings me back to Max Lucado's A Love Worth Giving, Chapter Three - Your Kindness Quotient.  Based on the verse, "Love is kind." 1 Corinthians 13:4.  In most areas, I consider myself to be a kind person.  At least on the outside.  But I have to admit, if you could hear my thoughts, I might have a very hard time looking you in the eye!  Unkindness creeps in, usually when my patience has been exhausted and I have had enough of other people (can I get an AMEN here?)!  Surely I am not the only one.  But even I am shocked at times by the level of unkindness that pervades my thought processes!  Because of a rather major problem in my marriage, my patience and kindness have been tested.  Sometimes I have won, many times I have lost.  Learning to hold my tongue (Proverbs 21:23, Ephesians 4:29) when unkind thoughts tempt me to say something unloving has been a difficult lesson.  Learning to make my thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) is a work in progress.  Trying to catch myself in the moment of an unkind thought, offer up a prayer of repentance (Hello Lord...it's me again and I am back about my unkind brain!)  is proving to be a taxing trial.  Paul, in writing to the church in Corinth, places kindness just behind patience in the pyramid of love.  Be patient...be kind...  On the surface, I don't have too much trouble with this one.  But when I am pressed, wounded, tired, anxious and confused, kindness takes a walk and anger, frustration and bitterness threaten to make themselves known.  I keep hearing the words of Jesus, who is, after all, our model in behavior and life choices.  "Love your enemies.  Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you...If you love only the people who love you, what praise should you get?...Love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without hope of getting anything back.  Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because He is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin.  Show mercy, Just as your Father shows mercy."  Luke 6:27-28, 32, 35-36  Good ol' Max.  He keeps giving me examples and stories that champion mercy and kindness.  I get it, I get it!  But then, he hits on something I haven't dealt with very much.  Kindness to...me?  Yep.  Get with the program.  If God forgives me of my faults, shouldn't I deal with myself a little more kindly?  To quote Mr. Lucado, "In His book, you are a good thing.  Be kind to yourself.  God thinks you're worth His kindness.  And He's a good judge of character."  So, thank you Lord, thank you Mr. Lucado and Ms. Stockett.  I will keep tabs of my thoughts, continue to make them captive and turn them over to God and repeat to myself...you is kind...you is smart...you is important!