About the Author

A three-time tongue cancer survivor and mama of children from “hard places," Michele Cushatt is a (reluctant) expert on pain, trauma and the deep human need for connection. Her most recent book, "Relentless: The Unshakeable Presence of a God Who Never Leaves", wrestles with the dogged presence and affection of...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. How incredibly redemptive it is when Truth does not have to be unkind.
    Thank you so much for this encouragement to winnow kindness out of hard words that need to be said. We had a teenage run-in just yesterday, and I’m looking back at it with a measure of peace because we accomplished the purpose with out combustion, and then moved on.
    I scribbled these 5 points onto a card and am going to start with Celebrate in honor of yesterday’s good conversation.

    • Oh, YES. Such a great idea, Michele! Celebrate the good conversation. Just because it was uncomfortable doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. As a mom of 3 former teens and 3 pre-teens, I celebrate with you!

  2. Michele,

    This world is so unkind & cold. Everyone is looking out for #1. They all seem to have the faces in their devices. We’ve lost the art of face to face conversations. Everyone is always in a rush & wants results now. Kindness takes thought & time. Jesus was kind to everyone no matter the situation. He may have been tired but took time to show love & compassion. Forgiveness is of utmost importance. Holding a grudge only hurts you & puts you in a bad mood. There is a saying “think before you speak”. I have done that some. It helps me to not say the wrong thing due a mood I’m in or something that just happened. Smiling comes naturally to me. I try to smile at people all the time. Just want to make them feel warm & loved-if only for a second. Love to celebrate small things in life. Recently got a good job & thanked God for it. Also celebrated my new employment. I celebrate getting something done right or remembering an important item. Our country is so divisive & hate filled that we need a kindness revolution. Start showing God’s love to all!

    Blessings 🙂

  3. Practicing kindness is practicing love.
    For others and for ourselves.
    In learning how to be gentle with ourselves,we have that gentleness to extend to others.
    I so admire kindness in others, it draws me to them. Especially having had a lot of unkindness happen in my life, I have come to know the value of it.
    Now I will be practicing more as it is a fruit of The Spirit. And leading a spirit filled life reflects Jesus’ loving character. Being a believer and following Jesus’s ways, cause the changes in my character that bring him Glory, which he so deserves.
    Thank you for sharing such a much needed message, it ministered to me big time.
    Love, Lynn

  4. Michele,
    I’m going to try the “pause” more often. My prayer this year is to be kinder in my speaking and listening. You have encouraged me. Thank you!

  5. Michele, Thankyou for this reminder to be kind! I try to be kind and polite wherever I go…..even to grocery clerks etc. It seems to go a long way towards shining the Light! Thankyou for this encouragement!

  6. Like the kids song. Jesus would want us to do this type of Kindness also. As this Children songs says. I learnt it at Sunday School. It has stayed with me all my life. It is Jesus hands were kind hands doing good to all. That is one kind of Kindness Jesus would want us his Children big and small to have. No matter what age we are as we are all his Children. Love Dawn. Thank you so much for todays reading. It is excellent xxx

  7. Michele,
    Thank-you for the time you put in to so thoughtfully put this forth. I’ve messed up already, and the day had just begun.
    Have a blessed day all,
    Penny

  8. Michele, thank you. I appreciate your acknowledgment that kindness is not weakness or somehow flimsy. It often takes a good deal of grit. It reminds me of a line in The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. The good guys are fighting the bad guys and some of the good guys have defected and betrayed their own side by killing their own countrymen. Understandably, one of the good guys hurls insults at the betrayers. The good king reprimands this warrior with these words, “…peace, Eustace. Do not scold, like a kitchen-girl. No warrior scolds. Courteous words or else hard knocks are his only language.” Those lines gripped me. Obviously, a warrior fights with “hard knocks,” but to be told that your only language is courteous words? Sounds a lot like what you said about followers of Jesus being compelled to show kindness. Thanks, again.

  9. I truly appreciate these words, this reminder. I think we all struggle at times by “reacting” rather than taking that moment to think, breath, pray before we answer, before we “strike” back. I want to be always kind in my treatment of others, in my words, in my reactions. I am so happy to see the 5 points made. Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in myself that I realize I did not “notice”, I did not “see” the other person’s needs. I don’t want to do that – I want to be kind. So this has spoken volumes to me and I pray to keep this and those 5 points in mind from now on. I know I won’t be perfect, but I want to be kinder and to learn kindness and kindnesses ways for the future. Thank you.

  10. Yes, I certainly want others to be kind to me–all the more reason to be kind to them.

    Thank you for your kind words!

    Now, maybe you can help me–I am still waiting for the (in)courage online Bible Study. My daughter gave me an (in)courage Devotional Bible for Christmas. I signed up for the study but I do not have Facebook.

    Thank you so much for your time.
    Glenda

  11. What a treasure to have stumbled through this today. I was just feeling stressed about one particular client who had so much high expectations and her demanding attitude regarding her son’s performance reminds me of a world where there is no room for kindness. And sometimes, I myself, have fallen into the trap of forgetting to be kind just to fulfill expectations. Some days I feel that I have to be less kind in order not to be stepped on– what irony. I do not want to live life this way– but there are hard days.

  12. Love this. Kindness is such an important grease of human life. I have noticed my thought life has a lot to do with my kindness. When I give myself grace and kindness and not expect near perfection, it is so much easier to be kind to others. But when I am beating myself up and not forgiving of my self, kindness is so much harder to extend to others. And so now when I come across an unkind person, I try to have compassion on them. Because most likely they are not exhibiting any kindness to themselves either.