‘Be kind’ is an adage we see everywhere these days. Is it an invitation? A conviction? Or a stance? Perhaps it’s all of these. Regardless, the intention is to spread a message of kindness—to be kind to others in our collective house. And it’s a good message with strong bones.
But I’d like to challenge us this week to consider going beyond the call to our community house to a more personal house. As individuals, we are physical houses as well as spiritual houses, and it’s important to be accountable but also kind in how we live our lives.
Kindness is an attitude. A tendency or orientation, especially of the mind.
Your personal house. The house that contains your thoughts, emotions, and the very lifeblood that beats wildly inside of you not only needs accountability to make good choices and lasting changes, but kindness too.
Truth is we struggle with this. Most of us are not very kind to ourselves when it comes to making mistakes and falling short of the mark.
Kindness is a fundamental character trait, especially to those of us who have adopted faith as a standard but it’s not a given, it must be built over time and through the fire of affliction. The more we use it the more powerful it becomes through our commitment to our accountability.
This week I am going to invite you to lean into accountability with kindness. Don’t let one outweigh the other in value or importance. Try engaging both of them to gain a healthier return on your investment.
Here are three kindness-centered House Rules. Strive to connect the high call of accountability to the foundation of kindness in each one. This creates a safe space for making impactful lifestyle changes.
Faith over fear
Progress over perfection
Lessons over losses
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.“ (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
- Where can you practice faith over fear this week?
- What issue in your life (or someone else’s life) do you need to realign expectations and put a higher value on progress over perfection?
- Apply a ‘no regrets’ filter to a hard loss you struggle with. Can you find a lesson in it?
Prayer is just a conversation with God. Talk to Him about what you learned and what you need from Him today.
Be bold. Be brave. Be free.
Dori
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