We all have heard about the seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. We sneer at the ones we see in others, we cringe at the ones we see in ourselves. I wonder if we ever contemplate the opposite of those seven sins? I wonder what would happen in a home, a community, the world if we choose the opposite?

I challenge you, as you read this series of articles, to ask yourself those exact questions. I challenge you to rise above the norm of our society, act differently, and express yourself differently. I think if we all had more compassion for the people around us and were less consumed with our own inconveniences the world would be a better place. And I could stand to follow that advice more often too.

Wrath is defined as “strong, stern, or fierce anger“. You can see this daily as people drive the streets of your community. We curse at the person in front of us and we use hand gestures to show our anger. Bosses are harsh with employees, parents are harsh with their children, spouses are harsh to each other, and we are harsh with strangers. Luke 6:45 reminds us that out of the abundance of the heart, speaks the mouth. We never once consider that perhaps the person in front of us has just received bad news: the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, or a diagnosis that has left them numb.

We mumble under our breath or aloud at the slow-moving lines at the stores. We think and/or say unkind things about the cashier or the customer in front of us. I recently found myself in such a slow-moving line. Maybe the cashier was new, maybe she was having a difficult day. I don’t know. I do know in that moment I had a choice: I could be angry, impatient, and rude or I could choose kindness, patience, and acceptance. If I were in such a big hurry, why didn’t I leave the house earlier?

As I continued to wait, I talked to my 3-year old daughter. We were laughing and giggling about nothing really, when a man came up behind us in a motorized shopping cart. My daughter asked why he was in the cart. As I explained that it helped him shop and how she was riding in a cart too, her questions continued. When the man stood to unload his groceries, my heart dropped. It was obvious that he had suffered a major stroke leaving the left side of his body virtually useless. As I watched him struggle to move even the smallest item from his cart, I asked if he would like some help.

He gladly accepted my help. I let my daughter help too, so that she could experience the joy of a random act of kindness. While helping this gentleman, I continued to talk to my daughter about being kind to others. She asked why we were helping this man and I explained that it is the right thing to do, the kind thing. That’s man’s words will resonate for years to come. He said, “You are the exception.” I believe he meant it as a compliment and a thank you, but I took it as a personal challenge.

I don’t want to be the exception, I want to be the norm. I want simple acts of kindness to be the norm in my home, my community, and in the world. I don’t want people to be so shocked when a kind word or deed is bestowed upon them. I don’t want wrath to be the norm.

I have thought about that man everyday since that happened. I wonder how he got those groceries in his house. I wonder at the daily struggles he faces while doing tasks that I take for granted. The cross weighs the same no matter who is carrying it. While I could see first hand the physical struggles this man was dealing with, we rarely ponder the emotional, mental, and spiritual struggles those around us our facing.

Today, I challenge you to be the exception until being the exception is the norm. I challenge you to speak kind words when angry, spiteful ones come to mind. I challenge you to put aside your own frustrations and error on the side of gentleness and love. I challenge you to remove wrath from your heart, if only for today. Be a blessing to those around you today with kind, gentle words and actions.