Before I GoSample

When someone treats you rudely or unkindly, how do you usually respond? Maybe your first reaction is to hit them back with your own snappy comeback. Or maybe you look at a friend and signal that you'll talk about this person later. Or maybe you internally start planning how you will get back at them. After all, if they don't treat us with kindness, why should we act differently? The simple answer is this: God wants us to live in peace with everyone around us. This means we should not only react with kindness but intentionally create peace.

At the moment, it may seem right to get defensive of ourselves, but only God knows what that person is really going through. Maybe that person who acted mean to us did so because they just had a really bad day, and God put us in their path to show them kindness. So does it really help to be unkind to those who are mean to us, or are we simply escalating the situation into something it doesn't need to be?

My challenge for you today is to memorize this verse for the next time someone acts unkindly to you. Maybe that person just needs someone to show them the love of God, so instead of responding with your own insults, remember to pursue peace intentionally. Maybe that little act of kindness is what will brighten their day.

Written by Danielle, 14 Burke, Virginia, USA