Day 18 Bringing Life to Order: (different perspective on kindness)

This thread began on February 7th

I received a lot of notes yesterday both on my blog and personally expressing sympathy for my health issues. I am grateful for your kindness but, though I appreciate the compassion behind everyone's sympathy, I'm not sure I did very well in getting my point across.

MCS is a handicap or maybe a blessing? I am the canary in the mine. I am quick to notice things that are a hazard to us all. It saddens me that we are so flippant in our use of hazardous stuff. I'm sure there are many people who will go to this store and buy blankets (see yesterday’s blog) for themselves and not understand that they need to be washed. There is no notice or warning on the blankets saying they are sprayed with pesticides. There was no indication the possible effects of this spray was even considered. This concerns me.

Is it that we don’t think about the consequences at all? Like would we spray a babies crib with wasp spray because there was a wasp on the pillow? Or would we think about the consequences and say, “This would be bad for the baby. I need to come up with a better idea?” On a broader scale do we have cause and effect in our brains at all? I think that goes back to the idea of kindness. Kindness starts with an awareness of how my actions will affect others. Or maybe it starts with realizing that these slow moving obstacles in grocery store isles are really people who deserve to be considered and ministered to. We feel no need to be kind to obstacles but we are kind to people we care about, aren’t we? Well, I am not always kind, especially towards those I care the most about. That perplexes me too.

I bought my blanket in the same place where I saw the man who was playing happily with the necklaces and sticks. (see Day 16’s blog) He was one of a bus load of similar folk all coming to shop for what caught their eye. There were young mothers there with babies. These are people, people worthy of our concern and compassion. Would the same people that spray the blankets they sell in this store, spray their own baby’s blankets with the same stuff? I don’t know the answer to that but it perplexes either way.

I confess I am struggling to understand cause and effect. I get it when I’m the one affected. But, I do many things not realizing the ripple effect it has on those around me. I guess as I am asking God to open my eyes to opportunities to respond kindly. I am beginning to see how much of the time I don’t respond one way or another. Lot’s to bring to order that’s for sure.

Yesterday’s report: I spent most of the day out of commission :-/

1) (business meeting with God) Wondering where God is leading us from here.

2) (blog)

3) (Act of Random Kindness)

4) (Clean something)

5) (Order something)

6) (Book)

7) (Family)

8) (Me)

9) (Ministry)

10) (rest) I did rest most of the day.