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by Carolyn G. CulalaIt's half-past 5pm and I'm still here at the office. While spending the remaining minutes of my day mumbling and groaning, I decided to take an inventory of my so-called day.
I distinctly remembered asking my Lord this morning for a prolonged temper, a kind-hearted countenance and a forgiving spirit. As I slowly reviewed how my day went, I began to realize that I wasn't able to do my part as well as I expected. I was less sensitive to opportunities that might have allowed me to sprinkle some seeds of kindness.
Sure, I can name a few times during the day that I held on to my patience for the longest time to an officemate's seemingly senseless questions, and perhaps endured much of a conversation from an arrogant client. Nonetheless, the hustle and bustle of the day kept me too occupied and so I lost focus on my kindness mission! Because if I didn't, perhaps I would not have caught myself groaning again to my boss' forgetful state nor rolled my eyeballs "heavenward" to my least favorite officemate! I am so ashamed.
Can you just imagine how Jesus was able to deal with such things during His time? You'll be amazed by the length of His patience, the depth and passion of His love for others. His heart was (and still is!) like a cistern of kindness that never ran out of every good deed for people - friend and foe alike. Amazing Jesus! I can only bow down in amazement and wonder.
Think about a day in the life of Christ here on earth for just a few minutes: lepers running after Him begging for his attention, Pharisees keeping an eye on Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, stubborn disciples being trained, all while grieving silently for a friend, Lazarus, who just died, and on top of that lack of sleep due to people clamoring for His attention.Whew! All these things perhaps might have given Him enough reasons to feel pressured and allow a snap of a remark or two, but we know better than that. Jesus was a living testimony of kindness! And perhaps it's His way of telling me, "Hey Carolyn, I already experienced a day like that and it didn't stop me from being kind, so why should you?"
Yes Lord, but it's so hard! I could only imagine a glint of laughter and endearment from my Father's eyes! I sheepishly smiled at myself and then let out a sigh of relief because I knew that deep down, I already possessed that Christ-like heart when I became His child. Praise God! Surely, little by little, from glory to glory, my heart will soon be like His. But for now, I just have to learn to love a little bit more, walk an extra mile and remember that I am Christ's ambassador of love and kindness. Jesus never did give up on people - so why should I? Knowing that God loved me when I was still a sinner makes the kindness mission much easier. I was once lost, but was found through God's grace. And He sure was kind to accept me as I am! So why not pass that same kindness to others?
God really knew that we, His children, would face conflicting emotions when it came to our relationships with other people. That's why he sent His Son to be a living example of what we should do. Christ already gave us the heart, and so through His grace and our perseverance to be like Him, we are already one step ahead in fulfilling the "kindness mission". You would be amazed what a kind word, a smile or even a good deed can do to someone's heart.
It's almost 7pm, and my day has come to an end. Tomorrow will be a brand new day for me. Thank God for an opportunity to be used once more as a vessel of kindness! Who says it's not good to be too nice? Not me! I definitely want to be... just like Jesus!
~ Carolyn Culala is a senior copywriter for an advertising agency in Makati, Philippines.
