What are you leaving behind?

Every morning at my house has a personality and attitude of it's own. Having to get a 5 year old and 2 year old moving on a time schedule can be an adventure. This morning was quiet, both boys happily eating their breakfasts while I sipped coffee. Then when their cartoon ended, they got their shoes on and headed out the door. However, this is NOT always the case. Some mornings, Micah doesn't want to wear THIS or that; other mornings Isaiah takes 45 minutes to eat his breakfast; while OTHER mornings Micah ends up eating most of MY breakfast and insisting on bringing 10 monster trucks in the car with him for the 2 block drive to daycare.

The one thing similar about each morning is something ALWAYS gets left behind. Some days I don't have time to wash the dirty plates so they are in the sink (or even left on the table). Other days I don't take time to make the bed, so that's a mess. And other mornings it looks like we got sucked up by a vortex and everything was simply left behind and only the people are now missing.

This morning got me thinking- what are we leaving behind us on a daily basis? Now I don't mean dirty plates necessarily, but how are the decisions and attitudes WE have affecting others?

I kind of imagine our negative attitude being like a snail. If you aren't a big fan of snails, the basics are when they move, they leave a slimy film behind them. You can tell where they have been and they aren't leaving anything nice in their wake. 

,

On the other hand, I see our positive attitude being more like a flamingo. Why a flamingo? Well how do you NOT smile when watching a pink bird balance on one leg? A flamingo leaves us smiling. 

We have the opportunity everyday, in EVERY interaction, to leave behind something positive or negative. Flamingo or snail. There is some awesome Scripture verses to check out on this- Colossions 3:12-14. And this one- No grumbling or snail behavior!

In everything we are to clothe ourselves in kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. What an amazing difference we can make by showing those positive characteristics to others. So PLEASE remember as you go throughout your day- you can make a difference. Do your best to make sure what you are leaving behind is a smile and not a slimy snail-like mess!