May our sons live in harmony with others; may he be sympathetic, show brotherly love, and be humble. 1 Peter 3:8
My crew of boys and I stand in front of the slow-to-open elevators of our local Children’s Hospital, waiting patiently. As the door opens, a sweet mama with her crying baby and two toddlers begin to emerge. She’s weighed down by the various things we carry around as moms of young ones, but I’m struck by the heaviness of the burden she is shouldering deep within her heart. It’s written all over her face.
She needs a helping hand. Don’t we all?
Without hesitation, my four sons move to the side while my oldest boy holds the elevator doors open for this young family. And I silently thank God for molding their sweet hearts.
WE MEET AGAIN
An hour later this same mama of three crosses our path again on another floor of the hospital. We’re seated in the crowded waiting room and I notice that my sons see her making her way across the room, looking for a place to sit. There are no vacant seats and she is obviously exhausted.
These sons of mine, they all rise to their feet and motion for her to take their seats. And I’m near tears at the sight of my boys showing kindness out in the world to a perfect stranger and her sweet children.
But, at home, behind closed doors, familiarity seems to breed contempt and unkindness in all manner of ways. It saddens me deeply when my boys struggle to show love to the ones that are closest to them. And yet, don’t we all struggle with this very thing to some degree?
TRAINING GROUND
God got a hold of my heart on this one early on and is still working on me to this day. He reminded me that our homes, where we all feel safest, are the perfect training grounds for learning how to be kind toward one another. It’s where we can practice kindness and then seek forgiveness (and offer it) when we mess up.
I’m convinced, now more than ever, that prayer is the one thing that can turn a house full of grumbling blessing-blockers around every time. But without prayer, we leave an open door for the enemy to sneak in and validate our unkind words. Satan likes to make us feel like our rights have been violated, doesn’t he. He loves to let us know it’s okay to be unkind toward someone if they are undeserving.
We need to do battle on our knees against those lies.
Kindness says, “Because God first loved me (while I was undeserving) and died on a cross to save my life, I, too, can show loving kindness to you…no matter what.”
Kindness, it’s genuine love in action toward others (even if it’s undeserved). And loving others is one of God’s greatest commands. While God’s perfect Love makes us kind-hearted, it is also what leads one to willingly reach out and serve others.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are there any ministries the Lord has put on your heart? If so, how can you involve your boy in them?
Throughout the day, pray the ten scripture prayers found at the end of the Kindness chapter in Praying for Boys!
Megan and her husband, along with their four young sons live in the beautiful state of Washington. As often as possible, she and her family spend their time outdoors exploring and discovering the beauty of God’s creation. Megan is passionate about encouraging moms in their faith, sharing resources and ways for families to connect and grow, and is inspired by others willing to share their real-life stories. She and her husband write about all this and more at Devotional Family, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
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