I recently received a reply regarding a devotional from a fellow writer. In her e-mail, she said that she loved my "out-of-the-box attitude". The response made me contemplate what she said.

I wondered what an "out-of-the-box attitude" was, so I typed the phrase into one of the search engines on the Internet.

There were thousands of answers, and most of them had to do with being grateful and then sharing our gratefulness with others. When we see a good reason to give someone a compliment, let us go ahead and do it; we may just may make that person's day so much better. When we're content or enjoying ourselves, let's not hide it; let's show and tell people. Moods are contagious — we might just pass our happy attitude on to someone! Open a door for another person. Help someone cross the street. Stop in and chat with our neighbour. As we drive along the road and see a stop light up ahead and know that there is a long line of cars behind us, let another driver merge in ahead of us. There are so many little kind deeds that we could do in order to make this world a better place to live in.

Colossians 3:12 – Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (NIV)

If we are feeling down, let's find ways to switch our perspective. When we wake up in the morning, let's be thankful for the gift of another day.

Hebrews 12:28 – Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe. (NASB)

As we begin our journey today, let us climb out of our self-interested boxes and be kind to each other.

Prayer: Lord, help us get out of our own little self-centred boxes and change our attitude towards each other. Create in us new hearts that bear the fruit of patience, forgiveness, tenderness, empathy, acceptance, and love. Amen.

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About the author:

Rosemary Hagedorn <rosyhagedorn@gmail.com>
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
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