Digging Deeper: People Never Forget How You Made Them Feel
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Proverbs 16:24 (ESV)
PEOPLE NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL
I’ve been a teacher for 13 years. I’ve taught kindergarten through 8th grade at any given point during those years. It has been a blessing to listen and engage with students. I’ve been their voice of reason, their school mom, the one they vent to and even occasionally cry with. I’ve listened as they have lost puppies, gone through break ups, dealt with mean girls, and even listened as some have struggled with their beliefs. Some days exhaustion hits, lessons need to be completed, and time runs out at the end of the period. But, there is one thing I have repeatedly learned, being present is often the greatest and most impactful form of kindness to someone else.
A decade ago, a student of mine was having a rough day. He had his heart broken and the math lesson was the farthest thing from his cares that day. His face showed all the emotions he was going through. My heart said that I needed to stop and check on him, so I walked away from the board mid lesson. I sat down beside him and just listened. But, what he remembered the most was that I told him we weren’t going to let this steal his smile today.
Sometimes the most impactful thing you can do is deter from what your plan was, listen to what God is asking you to do, and show kindness before moving forward. That same student a decade later still remembered that tiny moment. When he saw me out he came up to me and told me what an impact those words had on him. He hadn’t forgotten how I paused to make him smile.
The Bible says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”As Christians, kindness should be who we are. We should show kindness in everything we do. You never know how impactful such a small moment could be.
I pray as you take on this day that you stay unhurried and un-rushed. That you can show up with kindness in all the big and small moments headed your way. I pray your kindness makes a bigger impact that you can witness years later.
I pray as you walk through your day, in your highs and lows, that you can show kindness. Be present, listen, show up in the moments that God needs you too. Wearing a smile on your face in the midst of a battle just may be a shining example that inspires someone else.
Kelly Skelton is a Georgia native, raised in the south on Jesus, Georgia football and sweet tea. She is her husbands’ biggest fan and her two daughters’ loudest cheerleaders. She recently published her first children’s book titled, But God Had a Plan. She stays active in the Dallas area as a photographer, videographer, writer, and middle school teacher.