Hi friends!
I hope you all had a good week! Finally, summer is (fully) here! I’m not going to lie- I’m so glad the academic year is done! Summer and all of its fun activities are finally here!
But don’t you hate it when sand gets in your shoes at the beach? Don’t you hate it when your ice cream cone melts down your hand, and it’s chocolate, so it stains your favorite white capris? Don’t you hate the long lines at literally everywhere? Don’t you hate sunburns (if you don’t tan, like me)? Don’t you hate it when you planned something outside, and it rains?
Don’t you hate it when people are negative?
We all have those brief moods when we hate the world, and we’re all grumpy from time to time (especially after just waking up!). But I’m not talking about the occasional bad mood that dissipates in a few hours; I’m talking about the pessimistic outlook 24/7. We all know people who are this way- hey, I won’t lie; I’ve caught myself being this way before too. Those people are- let’s be frank- not so pleasant to hang around. The ones who just won’t even return your smile- they can be a real pain sometimes.
But before we go off on a rant criticizing them, let’s make sure we aren’t being hypocritical. Most of these people we immediately deem as “Johnny Rainclouds” (one of my all-time favorite quotes- thank you, everyone who recognized that movie!) are people we just ran into off the streets. They aren’t people we know; they’re just random strangers most of the time- isn’t that true? And if we don’t know them, then how can we rightfully judge their character, especially if we’re just in contact with them for a few minutes? Most likely, you just caught them on a bad day.
They’re probably people just like us- they have their bad days and their bad moods. No matter how nice it would be, it’s defying reality for someone to be kind to everyone all the time. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, but we all slip from time to time. And how much harder is keeping up that good mood for someone who doesn’t know the wonder and love and grace of God in their everyday life? Sisters, we know God personally, and that gives us joy. There is a difference between joy and happiness, but joy makes happiness so much sweeter and definitely easier to come by.
We’re lucky- God is there to help us through those bad days. There are some people out there who don’t know him, and they don’t have that comfort. Perhaps instead of mentally deeming them a pessimist to avoid, we could go out of our way to be nicer to people like that. I know that’s a very hard thing to ask- I don’t have very much patience for perpetually grumpy people either- but imagine how they would feel when you return their frown with a smile and a kind gesture! I’m talking hold the door for the frustrated mom with four kids to corral, or let the person who just finished their shift take the place ahead of you in line, or bring a co-worker a fresh cup of coffee- it doesn’t have to be big. More often than not, those little things are the ones that really make someone’s day. In fact, just asking to pray for someone can be so much more effective than you’d guess. Because if you were the one having the bad day, wouldn’t you like for someone to give you a little break?
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (Matthew 7:12 ESV)”- we’ve all heard the “golden rule” ever since we were little kids. This is definitely a great place to apply that verse, but it’s also a great time to apply another as well- Matthew 5:16. This verse says to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (ESV).” Chances are, these total strangers probably don’t know the Heavenly Father that we do. And that’s a huge reason to have a bad day.
When we’re kind to the negative people out there (so few are- face it, we like to avoid them), they can see a little bit of God through us. Our kindness may cheer them up or it may not- sometimes you can never tell what affect you have on someone- but hopefully, our act will leave an impression on them. And here’s another bonus- when we do nice things for other people, we’re cheered up too (that’s basically scientifically proven. Or, well, close enough)!
Ladies, we’re going to have bad days. It’s inevitable. But we’ve got our relationship with God to help us through those times. As for all the people out in the world who don’t have that relationship, you might be the only exposure to Christianity they’re ever going to have (for the record, I’m 99% sure I quoted that from someone way smarter than me…). Let’s make it a good exposure, shall we?
This week, let’s give people the benefit of the doubt and meet their frown with a smile.
Never doubt the power of a smiley face!
Mia
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