She brings joy.

Proverbs 31:12
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

I'm assuming you don't step out of bed in the morning with the intention of ruining someone's day.  "Man, I had a long night... so I'm going to go poison some cookies with hot chili peppers and give them to all my friends.  Ha!"  If you do have the desire to be intentionally mean, this blog probably isn't the place to go. 

However, a godly woman does more than not ruining the days of those around her.  Simply "not being mean" isn't what she strives to accomplish.  A godly woman makes an effort to bring good into the lives of others.  She searches for ways to make people's lives better than they already are. 

2 Corinthians 6:6-7 says, "We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.  We faithfully preach the truth.  God's power is working in us."  As followers of Christ, we are called to share the Gospel with everyone around us and one of the best ways to do so is through how we act.

I have had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a few students at my university, but what gets the most questions about my faith is when I make an effort to act in kindness and love.  People want to know what that's all about.  College life is all about focusing on you: your grades, your priorities, your organizations, your finances, you, you, you.  It's easy to become self-centered.  When Christians make an effort to bring goodness into our neighbors' lives over our own, it's noticed.  

In your daily interactions, are you bringing good?  What acts of service have you done for your friends recently?  Have you resolved problems or have you added more drama into the relationships around you?  Do you bring joy into conversations or do you bring others down?

Even in little things, kindness is important.  Try to bring good into everything you do, including how you interact with others on the internet, on the road, and in how you communicate with your family.  The verse referenced in the header of my blog, Matthew 5:14, is one of my very favorites because it's such a great reminder of who we are called to be.  It says, "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden."  In everything you do, you are a witness for Christ.  Be sure to shine for Him.  Bring good, not harm, when you interact with others.  

Today's challenge is to make someone's day better.  I want you to be creative with this.  Ask God to show you ways to share joy with others.  Bringing goodness into the day of someone in your life could mean making them cookies, writing an encouraging note for a friend, or simply giving a sincere compliment.  You decide how you can bring good to someone, take action, and if you like, share what you did in the comments below so that you can encourage all of us too.  

Make an effort to bring good rather than harm into every relationship you have.  Colossians 3:12-13 says, "You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you."  Enter into each conversation with the intention of making someone's day a little bit better and you may be surprised at how easily you'll be able to do so.

Shine Christ's love today, sisters.