Romancing Your Spouse-Day 12: Kindness Week Begins

"Love is patient, love is kind."

1 Corinthians 13:4 (New International Version)

A Week of Kindness:

Today we kick off our week of kindness. 

Question for Reflection:

How does unexpected kindness affect others?

Putting Kindness To Work:

Occasionally, I'll see a bumper sticker sporting the phrase made popular a few years ago, "Practice Random Acts of Kindness." 

I especially like to put kindness to work when traffic on the roads gets frantic. I'll let folks jump ahead of me and give them the right away when their car is perhaps cut off by a long line of motorists.  

By doing this, I found the surprised and thankful expression, on the fortunate driver's face, to be something that made my commute so much more pleasant and less tense.

Knowing when to spring a random act of kindness on our spouse can often be seen as a romantic gesture.

Homework:

Once again, attention to detail is key when planning what I call "spontaneous romance." Sometimes, a romantic gesture is manifested out of the moment, but so often, we need to plan these romantic flourishes in an effort to use them at the right time and in the right situation.

Every day this week, make an effort to do some little kind thing for your spouse--without spending any money. I'm not asking you to be as frugal as me. : ) I just want you to put some thought and planning into this assignment.

In addition, if possible, practice a random act of kindness to someone you encounter each day this week and observe how it influences both of you and the results thereof--in other words--how the act affects and effects both of you.

The random act of kindness need not be some grand gesture. This morning I was on an elevator with two men: one, a delivery person with a package ready to deploy, the other, shod with a tool laden work belt.

Both of their heads were bowed a bit--deep in thought about their next task. They didn't make eye contact, until the doors opened and I said, "You brothers have a blessed day." 

"You too," they replied. 

Prayerfully, they are both off to a blessed day--and the ask same for you, in Jesus' name.

Thanks for reading this devotional. Please pass it along.

--Steve Kendall