Not always easy, not always fun.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 16:29

 
Notice that this scripture doesn't add, "but only use these words if people are nice to you as well. Only if they're kind and treat you highly." 

Nope. It says that they are "sweetness to the soul."

When I'm at work, I try my best to keep this scripture in mind. A lot of the families I work with are full of bitterness, heartbreak, and despair. But I want to be gracious. To be that sweetness.

And you know what?
It's not always fun. And it's not always easy.

It's incredibly easy to speak gracious words to my kids when we're playing outside or eating lunch.

It's not so easy when they refuse to listen to anything I tell them.

It's incredibly easy to speak gracious words to parents when we're discussing the 4th of July party.

It's not so easy when they're yelling at me for something completely out of my control.

It's incredibly easy to speak gracious words to the parents that work multiple jobs just to put food on the table.

It's not so easy when a parent refuses to work and their child doesn't have food.

It's incredibly easy to speak gracious words to my kid who is super excited about seeing their dad over the weekend.

It's not so easy when that parent doesn't follow through and their child is heartbroken. again.

More than anything, it's incredibly easy to speak gracious words when they're spoken to me first.

However, in my line of work, that rarely happens. 
But can I expect any differently?
A lot of the families I work with have been through things that I can't even imagine. They've had rough lives. My kids have seen things by the age of 7 that I haven't even seen. So of course they're not gracious all the time. 

But that's even more of a reason for me to be gracious to them. To show them Jesus through my words and actions. Like I said, this isn't always easy nor is it always my first instinct. Lemme tell ya, there are times that I want to lay into my residents and say some not nice things. But that's when I have to push aside my fleshly nature and speak the words that God gives me. Cause those words sure as heck aren't the first ones that come to mind most of the time! 

When I started my job, I prayed that God would break my heart for what broke His and then to love those people like He loves them. At times, I've wished that I hadn't been praying that prayer for months.The truth is, 

                              I don't always want to love these people like He does.
                           I don't always want to invest my time and energy into them. 
                             And I don't always want to be kind and gracious to them. 
                           

 Loving His people can be painful.

But I'm glad that I've prayed that prayer because that's what I rely on on days like today when I leave work in tears. When I question if things will ever click for my residents. When I question why God has me in this job.

He has me here to love His people. Simple as that.