This is Day 9 of a 31 day series on Biblical kindness. You can find the rest of the posts here!
“One who knows how to show and accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession.” ~Sophocles
How do you react when your things don’t go your way? Do you scream? Do you clam up or do you smile and go with the flow?
As women, we tend to have a plan for how we think everything should go and can get a little uptight when things don’t go how we want them to. Whether it is holiday planning, Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or just weekend plans, sometimes it is hard to handle when things don’t happen as we had them planned in our mind.
I have thought a lot about the Proverbs 31 woman the last few years and how to live my life after her noble virtues. Am I even close to being perfect? Absolutely not! By reading and studying Scripture, it has been life changing in many ways.
What would happen if we openly embraced the ideas behind the Proverbs 31 woman? No, we are never going to be a perfect Proverbs 31 woman. But if we embrace these virtues? Doesn’t it give us a great purpose to have a relationship with God where we want to please him and act on that desire?
In Proverbs 31:26 it says that when she speaks her words are wise. One example of applying it to my every day life is by choosing my words wisely when disciplining my children. For me, that means not shaming them with harsh words. It also means teaching them right from wrong.
This also applies to my marriage. When Jason and I have an argument, sometimes it’s better to just keep my mouth shut! Being right isn’t always best! (And many of the times I wasn’t right to start with, but don’t tell my husband…ha ha!) Other times I will change the tone of my voice so I’m not condescending and it makes a big difference. Awareness of what makes people upset makes a big difference.
When I was just learning about selling insurance I had a great teacher. She was always sure her instructions were clear before she let me get to work on something new. I always appreciated how she was so good at communicating what she expected and I always knew that I could go ask questions and never feel bad or stupid about asking a question. She was kind and patient. This is exactly how I imagine the woman in this Proverbs verse is!
Do you speak with wise words and give good instruction with kindness whether it’s a home, work, with friends, or out in the community? Here are a few tips on helping you, if you are like me and sometimes struggle with this!
- If you are explaining something and the person isn’t understanding, try to explain in a different way. Some people are verbal, some are visual, some are hands on learners. Try different methods without getting angry. Take a 5 minute break and try again if necessary!
- If you get in an argument and you know the other person isn’t going to change their angle, change the subject or agree to disagree. You don’t always have to make your point to be right and relationships are more important than pride.
- If you see someone struggling, offer help. If they accept it, wonderful! If not, you tried.
To see the other posts in this series click here.
Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!
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