Kindness Spoken Here

Kindness Spoken Here

Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict. Proverbs 17:1

In the entryway of Martha’s home is a flowered wall hanging that reads “Kindness Spoken Here.” Many of the stitches are crooked and oversized, but the words are still prominently displayed.

At my query, Martha explained, “A couple of years ago, I was under a lot of stress in my job. That spilled into my relationship with my husband and my children and then in turn adversely affected their relationships with each other. Soon our home boiled with squabbles caused by the tension.”

She frowned, remembering. “Finally, my husband and I had a long talk. The result was that I got out my needlework basket and came up with this. Every time someone was unkind to another person—and I included myself in the rule—he or she had to retreat to a quiet room to pray and embroider one letter or part of a flower.” Martha smiled as she pointed to the design. “By the time all of us had worked on this for a while, the stitches got smaller, and so did our stress, as we finally understood what we were allowing tension to do to us.”

In today’s world, stress is a reality—job stress, school stress, schedule stress, emotional stress—and unfortunately, it finds its way into many homes. By itself, stress won’t destroy our families, but the way we handle it can. Maybe it’s time for all of us to work on our own “Kindness Spoken Here” project. —SANDRA

Lord, too often I have allowed stress to rule my actions, my words, and even my thoughts. Help me to seek your face. Help me to absorb your thoughts so my actions and my words will be ruled by you. Teach me truly to imitate you and to make a difference not only within my own life but in the lives of those around me.

In God’s economy nothing is wasted. He will redeem this time and use it for good.

—SUSAN HUNT, WOMEN’S MINISTRY CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR