I've always thought that so many well-known quotes were too cliche to repeat. So, if you change a word or two in the quote and apply it to a situation with a little heart, it'll mean a lot more to me.
Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle - John Watson...or maybe Plato
Well, here: Be gracious; smile at someone; work at having a warm heart; try your hardest to let Jesus show through you; everyone you meet is fighting an emotionally challenging battle.
I always thought that was a good quote, but like I said, I heard it too many times to let it matter. On Tuesday, I received some world-shaking news about my Dad's health. Everything in life seems trivial to the miracle I expect to happen in his body right now. So, as I was at the gym, going through the motions, there was a girl. She was using a mat next to me and she had a very grumpy face. She sighed. She moved around me like I was a mountain she had to climb. I smiled. She continued to grump. I squelched tears because it wasn't her fault that my day, and as far as I know right now, my life is not going the way I had planned. It's not her fault....and she is probably going through a battle too. But I continue to think of her and I have to hold back my fragile emotions because she was part of a day that marked a turn in my life that I would have rather kept straight.
Jesus, heal her heart...and mine.
