Refreshment (Devotion 2.7)

We had a “false” fall for a moment.  It was almost a tease since the summer swells come forcefully.  It’s even hot all night long.  It can be hard to run even though the sun is not shining.  The humidity just settles in like a smothering blanket.  A little breeze seems to offer a temporary reprieve, which I welcome each time.  The best, though, are these little cool air pockets that occasionally happen.  They seemingly come out of nowhere.  They are just a puff of coolness on an otherwise brutal run.  It is so refreshing it often takes me by surprise.  

Could we be that bit of cool air in someone else’s sticky day?  I don’t mean actually air conditioning.  I wonder if we could be a bit of refreshment to others who may find the day oppressive.  What might a kind word do?  How might an encouraging moment change someone’s day?  What about a smile, a kind gesture, a moment of grace?  These all could completely change the trajectory of someone’s difficult moment.  

It could sound as if this is really overstated.  But our world is often overwhelming and stifling.  It can beat us up with every turn.  Kindness really does make a huge difference.  Grace really does show up.  Friendship can be exactly what someone needs.  If we were all kind, imagine the wave of refreshment which could wash over us?  We won’t know if we don’t try.  Maybe we just find a way to be extra kind this week.  You never know what a difference you could make.