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Sunday, June 2, 2013

churchy things {being nice/kind}

it's the first sunday of the month so that means time to get churchy around here. actually this post is a little less churchy than some of the others.
i grew up in the south. southern hospitality is real...all the time...everywhere. people are most generally nice and friendly to each other all the time...in the grocery store, on the road, on the internet. you get my point. that's what i grew up with, and that's just how i thought people were. sadly now that i have been and lived more places, i realize not all people are just nice to each other just for the sake of being nice.
even though my recent travels (which I swear I am going to blog about soon) did not take me back to the south, i saw that same attitude. everyone in the virgin islands was so friendly. we went for a walk one day, and we were greeted by every single person we passed. i realize the workers in the resort are there to take care of the people staying there, but they were so genuinely friendly. it took me back to my southern upbringing, and really made me think about the way i treat people/the way i want to treat people. 
that brings me to the churchy part. in the bible in the book of mark (among other places), talking about the commandments it says 
mark 12:31  
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
 basically we are commanded to first love God and second love our neighbor. i am pretty good at loving my neighbors when they need something like a meal or a ride to the airport or even a babysitter, but i'm not always so good at being friendly to everyone i come in contact with or loving those that bother/bug me. i get irritated easily, and i judge when i shouldn't.
there is so much negativity everywhere. i don't need to be the cause. i want to do a better job at loving my neighbor and being kind/friendly/loving to everyone around me. i want to go back to my days of being a southern and bring a little southern hospitality wherever i go. my goal for this month is to be more aware of the way i treat my neighbors whether they be my actual neighbors (who i admit i don't actually know) or random people i come into contact with around town, on the road, on the internet, my family, etc. who wants to join me in making june the month of kindness?
be sure to check out there's a mouse in my kitchen for her churchy post
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4 comments:

  1. I love this. I spent 3 years of my life in South Carolina and 8 years in Virginia. I was also a military brat so everyday I got a double dose of kindness and respect. I miss the south and their culture ( and food) so much.
    Morrellfairytale.blogspot.com

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  2. I can totally be the kind who gets judgmental and irritated before I try to be kind and friendly. I grew up in the North, so I'm used to going about your way and doing what you have to do, not going out of your way to be friendly. Not that Northerners aren't friendly ; ) Good thoughts to consider!

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  3. We grew up all over the place, but I spent my tweens and teens in New Jersey before moving to Texas. The one difference I noticed immediately, is that everyone here is so much more friendly. Not that they weren't in New Jersey, they just always seemed busy and never took the time to be kind. It was almost a shock to my system to go walking down the street and have random people smile and say hello. I don't generally go out of my way to be kind, but since moving here I think I've become more friendly. Totally didn't mean to babble so much. I think being kind is a good reminder for everyone :o)

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  4. Thanks for the great reminder in this post! I really should get back into blogging and write more like this. Maybe you have inspired me... ;)

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