October 24, 2020
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you… Matthew 7:12
I’d been on the phone with a representative of my cell phone company, trying to figure out my bill. She put me on hold several times, but always returned with a thorough answer to my questions.
“Thanks, you’ve been really helpful,” I said, as the conversation was ending.
“That’s because you’re nice,” she said, and I was taken aback.
“You mean people aren’t nice when they’re asking you for help?”
“You’d be surprised,” she said, and I admit I was.
I had to wonder: is it such a big deal to be nice? It reminded me of a card my mom gave me years ago, when I was entering my teens. The simple message has stuck with me: Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Maybe the woman on the other end of the phone fought with her husband this morning; or the waiter found out he needs surgery; or the cashier just learned that she’s being laid off. Maybe they have some of the same aches or worries that I have. By simply being nice to each other, we can help both our days run a little more smoothly. Jesus had another way of saying this: do to others what you would have them do to you. Nothing is more important regarding our relationships with each another.
Heavenly Father, help me to think before I speak, and then to speak with kindness. May I think not only about how my words will be delivered, but also how they will be received.
Gina Bridgeman