As I’ve been trying to learn to use my new camera, I’ve taken hundreds, if not thousands, of photos. Scrolling through my latest practice batch, I came across a shot that brought a proverb to mind:

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (Proverbs 21:9)

In the spirit of a picture being worth a thousand words, I could probably end this blog post right here with an exhortation to not be grumpy and a prayer for the Lord to guard my lips. Whether I’m a wife or, in this case, a hungry juvenile bluebird, our attitudes often need taming.

But it’s helpful sometimes to take a “negative” command (what not to do) and consider the flip side. The proverbial don’t be a quarrelsome wife, for instance, could be flipped to Romans 12:10b

Outdo one another in showing honor.

I was hanging out with some young friends, ages 8, 6, and 4, earlier today. Their family had just moved to town. With this verse fresh in my mind, I asked them to brainstorm some ways they could show honor to their mom who was upstairs nursing a newborn among countless unpacked boxes. Whereas I was thinking in terms of unloading the dishwasher and flattening empty boxes, the two irrepressible girls began dreaming big. A tea party. With rice krispie treats. And we’d need pretty dresses … so, yep, they “outdid” me in the realm of ideas.

What is one small way – big or small – you and I can show honor to someone today? A phone call? An encouraging text? A handwritten note? A baked goodie? We never know how much even a small kindness might mean to someone in our lives.