Afternoon Acts Of Kindness

I’ll admit, loving incomplete people doesn’t seem like the obvious path to joy. And it doesn’t seem like an obvious topic to be covered in a book on getting healthy and keeping our skinny jeans in proper perspective. But stick with me here, you might be surprised.

Just the other day I was pondering some of those distressing emails I mentioned earlier, and I reached the conclusion that incomplete people are a trigger that make me want to eat. They are complicated and sensitive and messy in their reactions. They have the potential to drain my resolve and make me grumpy.

The last thing I want to do when a person throws their incompleteness in my direction is love them. I want to grab a bag of Cheetos and rationalize how much a treat is certainly in order right now. Then I want to sit on my couch and tell the air around me how much I love Cheetos and how much I dislike incomplete people.

But what if I dared in that moment to think differently? What if I could be courageous enough to act and react like a complete person — a Jesus girl who is filled, sustained, and directed by his joy? Instead of looking at this incomplete person’s offense, what if I could see the hurt that surely must be behind their messy reaction?

I pause. I don’t reach for the Cheetos. I don’t react harshly out of my own incompleteness. I don’t wallow in my thoughts of how unfair and unkind this other person is. And I choose to love instead … taking out a piece of stationery and responding with words of grace, or crafting an email with a message of compassion.

Better yet, what if I were to do this every afternoon, even when I haven’t had a run-in with an incomplete person but am just simply craving things I shouldn’t eat? I’ve been trying this out lately and I love it. Afternoon acts of kindness are yet another unexpected but beautiful result of letting Jesus direct my healthy eating pursuits.

Each day I’ve been asking Jesus who in my life needs words of encouragement, and He always puts someone on my heart. So, instead of filling my afternoons with thoughts of frustration toward others or tempting thoughts about food, I am filling my afternoons with His thoughts of love toward others. And this is a great place to be, no matter if I’m wearing my skinny jeans or not.

After all, the ultimate goal of this journey isn’t about making me a smaller-sized person but rather making me crave Jesus and His truths as the ultimate filler of my heart. We are to remain in this healthy perspective.

Let His thoughts be our thoughts. Remain.

Let His ways be our ways. Remain.

Let His truths go to the depths of our hearts and produce good things in our lives. Remain.

Approach this world full of fellow incomplete people with the joy of Jesus. Remain.

And see our skinny jeans as a fun reward, nothing more. Remain.

And be led forth in peace because I’ve kept my happy tied only to Jesus. Remain.