Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14 (ESV)
CHANGE THE STORY
Closing out this week, I want to circle back to the words from Monday, the kindness of my mom.
My mom’s kindness in her hospital bed impacted those who cared for her.
The nurses, doctors and caretakers would each tell my sister and me what a kind woman my mom was, how brave she was, how sweet her soul was. Every time they spoke of her kindness it melted our hearts, but nothing melted it more than the love of her nurse on the second day of her stay.
That nurse became attached to my mom. They shared stories, they laughed and cried over pictures. My mom knew things about her life that even I was surprised she shared. This nurse came back to the hospital hours before her shift started just because she knew my mom was being discharged on hospice care. She came back to tell my mom good-bye, to hug her neck and to tell her that she loved her. It’s a moment I will never forget. Out of such darkness that hung over us, my mom’s kindness and the nurse’s kindness is what helped carry us through. The kindness that she had was what I imagine Jesus was like. In the midst of a battle, in the middle of fighting for her final days, she chose kindness, compassion and love.
I pray as you end your week, you reflect back on the kindness you were able to offer, and see the kindness that was given to you.
I pray that the kindness you shared helped change someone else’s story too.
Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea. She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders. She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan. She stays active in the Dallas area as a photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.
