Since the people we deal with every day notice what we wear, the Bible says, ‘Clothe yourselves with…kindness.’ But sometimes kindness is the last thing on our minds. Think about how often you’ve passed a motorist stranded on the road and didn’t stop or even offer to call for help. Or you allowed the business and pressures of work to make you curt and short with others.

When that happens, we need to be like the young man who worked in the produce section of a supermarket. His first day on the job, a lady approached him, wanting to buy half a head of lettuce. He tried to dissuade her, but she persisted. Finally he said, ‘I’ll have to go back and talk to the manager.’ He walked to the rear of the shop, not realising the woman had followed him. When he found the manager, he said, ‘There’s a silly old lady out there who wants to buy half a head of lettuce. What should I tell her?’ Seeing the horrified look on the manager’s face, the boy turned around, saw the customer, regrouped, and said in his most gracious voice, ‘And this nice lady wants to buy the other half.’

Sometimes when you pay someone a compliment, they’ll say, ‘You’re too kind.’ But what they really mean is, ‘Say it again.’ After Confederate General Robert E. Lee retired from the military, he became president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. One day a new student came into his office asking for a copy of the rules and regulations. The old general replied, ‘Son, we don’t have a rule book. Our only rule is kindness.’ So today, practise being kind.