Raising Peacemakers in a Noisy World

 Kindness Begins With Me

There is a Primary song that says, “I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right you see. I say to myself, remember this kindness begins with me.”

Those words have been on my mind a lot lately.

As I hear things in the news, things happening in my town, and even things my kids tell me about school, I keep coming back to that simple line: kindness begins with me. If I want more love in the world, more patience in my home, and more peace in my community, it has to start with my own heart.

Recently I listened to a talk by Gary E. Stevenson titled Blessed Are the Peacemakers. Several things he said really stood out to me.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

He taught that being a peacemaker begins in the most basic place in our hearts. We replace contention and pride with forgiveness and love. We build bridges of cooperation and understanding. We respond with kindness. We deliberately build others up instead of tearing them down.

He reminded us that we are all born with divine inclinations toward kindness and compassion. Peacemaking demands action. It is not weakness. In fact, choosing peace and kindness requires a strength the world may not always understand.

That really hit me.

Lately, my kids have told me that some of their teachers seem less patient and not as kind as they used to be. I know teachers are carrying so much. I also know my own kids can be part of the problem sometimes. They are silly. They are human. I’m sure they add to the noise and chaos some days.

So we’ve been talking about what they can control.

We’ve talked about being kind. Being obedient. Making things just a little easier on their teachers instead of harder. As we were talking, an idea sparked. I decided to call it our March Madness Challenge Month.

For the next few weeks, my kids are going to take something small to give to their teachers a note, a treat, a kind word, a thank you. I told them they can be sneaky and not let them know who it’s from, or they can hand it to them directly. That’s up to them.

It'll be a fun experiment.

What happens if they choose to be more kind?
Will it change the way their teachers respond?
Will it impact their classmates?
Will it change them?

I don’t share this to brag. I share it because I feel inspired. If we want more kindness in our schools, our neighborhoods, and our world, it has to begin somewhere.

It begins in our hearts.
It begins in our homes.
It begins with our children watching us.

It begins with me, and you.

So I’ll ask you the same question I’ve been asking myself:

What can you do today that will bring a little more kindness and peace into your heart, your home, your neighborhood, and your community?

Kindness begins with us.

xoxo,
Megan 

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