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You are here: Home / Devotions / Be Kind: Everyone’s Got Something Going On

Be Kind: Everyone’s Got Something Going On

September 16, 2018 by Adam Weber Devotions, Leadership

Be kind: Everyone’s got something going on you can’t see. Here’s one story: A year or so ago, I randomly met a guy that I was immediately intimidated by, and I’m not usually a person who gets “intimidated” by others easily. But this guy was sharp looking, appeared extremely confident, and I assumed he had life by the tail.

Within minutes of meeting him though, he shared that his wife had recently left him and he was struggling with an addiction.

“I’m depressed and I’ve never felt more broken in my life,” he said. “I’m so unsure of everything.”

It wasn’t at all what I expected.

A few things to remember whenever you (or I) think we know someone’s story:

  1. Never assume.

Never assume who someone is or what they’re going through. We’re all pretty good at hiding things. We tend to “Instagram” our lives as much as we possibly can.

Instead of assuming, get to know a person. Hear their story. Ask questions and listen.

Talk to someone for a while before you make (good or bad) assumptions about what their life is like based on how it looks like from the outside.

  1. Everyone has a battle.

The saying “everyone is fighting a battle of some kind” is true. It looks different for each person, but everyone we meet is walking through something or has in the past.

Often we believe the lie that we’re the only ones.

The only person that has made an embarrassing mistake.
Struggled with a temptation.
Felt insecure.
Walked through a certain trial.

But we’re not.

Some battles are noticeable, others not so much, but everyone is wrestling with something.

If only we’d slow down and take notice.

  1. Be quick to be kind.

We are so quick to judge, criticize and hate on people. Be quick to show kindness instead.

Feeling like judging someone? Gossiping? Pray instead.

Knowing that others are fighting battles of their own should change the way we treat them.

Instead of being a jerk to someone who’s being a jerk, encourage them. Give grace. Serve.

Kindness has the power to change people from the inside out.

Yes, these things can change the other person. But also, they can change you, they can change me.

  1. Share your brokenness.

Don’t be afraid to share your brokenness.

Often, I think that sharing my imperfections will make others think less of me. But when I heard a small part of that guy’s story, it made me respect and appreciate him even more.

Share where you have failed in the past. Your struggles. Your disappointments.

Everyone’s got something.

 

This article originally appeared here.

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About Adam Weber

I like typewriters, drive a Rambler, cheer for the Cincinnati Bengals, and have 4 chickens. Fun fact: I once made the worldwide news (from the UK, to Pakistan, to Australia) when a turkey vulture fell out of the sky and onto my back porch during an ice storm. Google it. I’m married to my beautiful wife Becky and we have 4 kids: Hudson, Wilson, Grayson and Anderson. Author of the book Talking With God. I’m one of the pastors at a church called Embrace. Embrace is a 10-year-old church that has grown to 6 campuses and 4,000+ people in weekly attendance, and is still growing.

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