I have long believed that one of our most important purposes on earth has to do with how we treat others. Kindness, compassion, mercy, love, and selflessness are the characteristics that if learned and lived daily will mark the truly great life. In the final analysis, our positions, our prosperity, our accomplishments, and our looks will have no bearing whatsoever on our ultimate success. God simply looks past those things and straight at our heart.
I find it baffling that sometimes we seem to treat complete strangers or casual acquaintances with more kindness than we do those to whom we are closest. I understand this is often because of our familiarity with our families and love ones. After all, we've seen them at their best and their worst. Maybe we feel justified because we think they will always forgive us...they are family, right?
The more I experience in life, however, I believe that our public persona (the person we show to the world) should in reality be a reflection of who we are privately. It is our private person where the real "me" shines forth. Who are you being in your home, with your family, and maybe most importantly alone? It is that person with whom God is most concerned. In other words, I don't believe that there should be a double standard. We should be consistently kind, considerate, and full of compassion no matter where we find ourselves.
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