Intentional kindness - when you get down to it - does not come naturally. It often requires putting someone else first (emotionally, physically, financially), and that can be really HARD. And yet, that is exactly what we are commanded to do in Micah 6:8:
[W]hat does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (ESV)
The question, then, is how do we instill an instinct for kindness in our children? How do we encourage them to set aside their own wants and desires to help someone else? How do we cultivate a mindset of generosity and kindness when much of what we see in the culture around us is self-centered?
When our publisher asked us to submit a seven-day devotional to the YouVersion app specifically devoted to teaching kids kindness, we were excited and yet slightly trepidatious to tackle this subject.
Let's be honest, we're still in the midst of this parenting journey, our kids (and us, frankly) sometimes fall short of the mark. Given this confession, how can we possibly be the "experts" to tell other parents what to do?
But, God.
God is the redeemer of us and our children. He is the redeemer of our best intentions gone astray, and he gives us new days, new tries and new opportunities to get it right. He commands us to be kind and then walks alongside us in the journey.
That's the beauty of learning to be intentionally kind: it is a journey, not a destination. We don't get it right every time, but we apologize when necessary and then try again. We, as parents, are in this for the long haul; we don't quit after a hard day, we regroup, take our failures to God and start the next morning afresh. And we teach our children to do the same.
We've written this devotional with our fellow parents in mind - to act as an encouragement rather than as a guilt-inducer - to cheer you on and equip you with ideas and resources that have worked for us, to share stories that will spark inspiration within your own circles, family and beyond. If you love the 7 day devotional, you'll love our book,
If you haven't discovered the YouVersion app yet, it's an amazing resource filled with tools to support and encourage your entire family's faith journey. We love it, and we are beyond honored and humbled to now be a tiny part of it.
Are you looking for more resources? Have you checked out our books?
Julie, Kendra, and Kristin
Our newest book, the 100 Daily Acts of Friendship for Girls is written specifically for girls aged 8-12 as they navigate friendships in upper elementary and middle school. With a scripture, short story, reflection questions and 50 fun activities to do with you or friends, it's a wonderful way to encourage your daughter, niece, granddaughter, God daughter and her friends to build healthy friendships from an early age.
And our adult friendship devotional, The One Year Daily Acts of Friendship is a perfect compliment to our book for tweens. With a daily scripture, story, and friendship prompt, its encouraging and slightly challenging (in a good way!) as you find, keep, and love your friends.
We've also written two kindness devotionals, The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness and 100 Days of Kindness. They tell the story of how our families embarked on a one-year journey of kindness, and include our successes, failures, and the encouragement you need as a family to incorporate kindness into your own life.
We would love to walk alongside you in encouragement, inspiration, and community. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram as The Ruth Experience or sign up for our monthly newsletter (no spam, ever), here.
We would love to walk alongside you in encouragement, inspiration, and community. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram as The Ruth Experience or sign up for our monthly newsletter (no spam, ever), here.
If you already have one of our books and love them, we'd so appreciate it if you leave a review on Amazon.
We're in this together,
Julie, Kendra, and Kristin
We did this with our kids, and we all loved it. Thanks! I am looking forward to starting the 100 Days of Kindness devotional with the family..----------Audrey
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