1069) I have several bad habits I wish to overcome. I have heard if you truly want to change a habit, you must replace it with something else–hopefully good. As we have been considering the “garbage” we must get rid of in Ephesians 4:31, we need to replace it with other things. We find these replacements in the next verse and the first thing listed is kindness.

I wouldn’t be surprised if most of you have experienced the kindness of a stranger. I have, multiple times, but what I’m wondering is, is it easier to be kind to strangers than it is to those we are in contact with regularly? As I consider this, I guess the answer lies in what kinds of people do I surround myself with? Yes, I know I don’t have a choice about who my relatives are and little control over who I work with, but even within these circles, I still have choices of which people within these groups I gravitate to and spend time with.

Continuing my ruminations, I think it’s easy to take those we see regularly for granted and we may not be as kind to these people as we are to strangers. Yet, I have experienced kindness from my circle of friends and these things have meant a lot.

For example, several years ago, the first dog I ever owned, Rusty, and his companion, Danny, both passed within a few months of each other. I was so distraught I found it hard to hold it together at school. In the early days of my grieving, I was in the darkened teacher’s room with tears flowing when one of my coworkers came in, sat down beside me and asked me how she could help. I told her I didn’t know what she could do but at the moment, I was trying to pull it together enough to begin my recess duty in 5 minutes. She quickly squeezed my hand, and said, Don’t worry about your recess duty; I’ll do it for you. I was so deeply touched and relieved that there’s a place in my heart that cherishes this day during a time in my life that was very hard.

Kindness is a wonderful substitute for garbage. Dare to be kind to everyone, especially those you see day by day. Ephesians 4:32.