From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
I read a quote once that really got my attention, since I am one of those people who doesn’t like to wait for things.
Glynnis Whitiver said, “Don’t sacrifice kindness on the altar of impatience.”
Oh boy, that’s good!
Our society thrives on productivity and getting results fast.
However, there are many situations where the bottom line is not what will win first prize at the county fair.
Ask any senior about a trip to the doctor’s office and they will tell you they want the doctor to be compassionate and caring in their treatment.
The old adage is still true: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Impatience has a way of bringing out the “nasty” in us, be it road rage behind the wheel, rudeness to checkout clerks in retail, or exasperation with children or seniors who don’t move as quickly as we would like them to.
The sad thing is that we often don’t even realize our lack of kindness because we are so focused and self-absorbed on our own agenda.
There have been times when I either caught myself acting cranky towards others, or (gasp) others pointed it out to me!
I have learned that a good counterattack against ‘kindness deficiency syndrome’ is to pray, asking the Lord to open my eyes to the needs of others and to help me practice acting with kindness towards them.
It is good to know that help is only a prayer away!
