January is the month that I do my “spring cleaning” I go through every room, every closet, every drawer and see what I am not using that I could share with others. This year, I took on my basement, my least favorite space in the house, and am happy to report that it is neatly organized for the first time since I moved in. I might also have noticed the people at GoodWill are not as happy to see me these days.
I have never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. I know that for me January is my time to start fresh and get things in order, time to be healthier after the excesses of the holidays, time to reconnect with people I care about. I reinvest in healthy habits that make me feel good about myself, and set the tone for the year. I try not to set myself up for inevitable failure when I am too ambitious about personal change.
This year, though, I have prayed about investing in the spiritual discipline of kindness. I am feeling called to be careful. There are so many rabbit holes of frustration that we are spending too much time in these days. It is time to acknowledge that we don’t agree about everything, and that probably won’t change. I hope that what I want, what makes sense to me, will eventually happen, but I can’t get us there.
I also know that people who do not agree with me are good people. I work to see that—generosity, care for others, behind the scenes work for the church. Everyone has good in them. It is my job to find it. And that will be impossible if I am not kind.
Look, do I always want to be kind? No. Do I think of clever things I should have said and sometimes wish I said, yes I do. Am I good at this, no. But maybe after a year of intensive practice, I will get better.
It might seem that I say this a lot. It feels that way to me too. However, we aren’t to where we need to be yet. So I will keep practicing and praying for a kinder world. I hope you will join me.