In The Middle Of My Dash

Today I will feature a blog post written by my sweet daughter, Sarah. If you are just now jumping in to my blog, you are going to want to go back and read a series of posts telling of the miracle that she and I shared together four years ago. You can find Part Four here, and that will lead you to the rest. One day while I was recovering from my surgery, I was walking towards the entrance of a grocery store. My walking was very slow those first couple of weeks after surgery. I was in a lot of pain and I couldn't take prescription pain medication because, like my mom, they made me feel sick. So, I just dealt with the pain. When I was still several feet from the entrance door of the store, a car pulled up beside me, honked their horn and rolled down their window. I looked over my shoulder and a woman screamed out the window, 'Is it even possible for you to walk any slower? I have places to be!' I rephrased the words a little because I can't actually write the exact words she used. She was not very nice. She didn't know my story but in that moment, I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life. Kindness. It’s an elementary school word and really, the definition is so simple. Yet, how often it’s disregarded. Maybe because of circumstances or trials in our own life or maybe because we feel it’s undeserved. Yet, I can't help but be reminded of Jesus’ life. He was treated horribly and then crucified by His own people, and yet He never uttered an unkind word. The Lord has given me the privilege to work for some amazing companies. I believe God has given me these opportunities to be a light to those who have known nothing but darkness. I worked for one man in particular who was always gruff and the words he spoke always stung. Several times I mentioned him to others in hopes that perhaps I could do something or say something to change his perspective of me. I was told it wasn't me at all, but it was everyone he came into contact with. People would say 'that’s just the way he is' or 'he’s always been that way, and you can't change it’. I wondered what happened in his life to make his heart so angry. The people involved were all unsaved and I often wonder if they were able to see just a small sliver of Jesus’ love through me. When people say my name, do they think the same as I thought about those two people God put in my path? When I'm reunited with my King, I pray that in the middle of my dash these two words would be written: kindness and love. Ephesians 4:32 – "And be ye kind on to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you."