Knowing ahead of time how to behave is helpful even for adults. Let me share with you this recent experiment. I noticed when I travel people are rushed, short, grumpy, and a bit preoccupied. Knowing this I decided the day before my trip that I was going to plan to be kind. I wasn't going to hurry. I was going to pace myself and be overly considerate of others. This is exactly what I did. I didn't stand in line to get on the plane. I decided to remain seated until everyone else went ahead. After all we all had our seat assignment. Then, I checked my carry on. Why fight my carry-on into overhead for take off, and then wrestle to get it down upon landing? Besides, checking your carry on now-a-days is usually free. There is no leg room anyway. This gave me free hands to help others. I also smiled more. The trip was much more pleasant except for a coughing, runny nose passenger infesting the entire plane....I prayed for her and the rest of us.
Action Step: Make a plan how you intend to behave and what attitude you will have before you go to bed. When you wake up tell yourself how you feel. Don't wait for your body to tell you how it feels. Your body will rarely, if ever agree with the word of God and the will of God. Discipline yourself to stick to your plan. When you exercise yourself in one area of discipline it spills over into all areas of life. Go ahead--make someone's day. Be kind to yourself so you can be kind to others.
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