Be a bra-yes I mean it.

Yes, i am about to tell a story about a bra on a site that is read by males and females. We all realize that women wear them; or at least they should--not only for personal appearances but for the sake of back health as well. Side note to my curvy sisters: Getting our basic clothing items at a better department store is just that...better for us. Just as a house needs a strong foundation, so do we. May I suggest, ladies, that we prioritize items that are more vital than leggings and lipstick?

A point to ponder, but enough of the PSA. Let's focus on the need to reach across the aisle and build relationships in all areas of life.

Lesson learned: Whether you put stock in the golden rule or in the maxim of sowing and reaping, we all need to invest in kindness and relational humanity. It is bound to lift us up and keep us from flopping around when life throws us curves....Warning: puns abound.

Here is the scoop: I shop at a higher end store for my necessities (see above for reasoning). While all the staff are supportive, Sara is a super star saleswomen. We have built a relationship contoured on uplifting each other, regardless of our different styles. Twice a year, she works to find selections that fit my limited balance of time and money. Likewise, I adjust to make her day as the customer of choice rather than the one who rises up her back. Little did I know that our relationship would one day save more than just my posture.

Recently I began serving on a Board of Director for an NPO for young lades stepping from youth into adulthood. I also have a mentee that I work with twice a week--sometimes in academic areas, sometimes in spiritual areas, and sometimes in physical areas. This April, I was scheduled to do both a mentor session at the gym and my first Director's meeting directly afterward--no time to go home, just jumping from one appointment to the next.

I planned. I prepared. I prayed. I forgot to pack a clean bra...I panicked....

That is I panicked until I remembered my sisters at the department store. *

***Just in case you are wondering why I did not wear the gym bra, let me just say " ick!" It was sweaty and worse yet, a racer back. Not savvy with a business suit.

Wasting no time, I hustled myself over to the mall. I scrambled up the stairs where I saw--you guessed it--Sara.

"Sara, I'm in a jam! I have a Board meeting in 20 minutes and forgot to pack a bra after my mentor session at the gym! Help me?"

Months prior, as we were sharing laughter, church stories, and wise maxims of womanhood, I never imagined that I was setting myself up for a girl save. But there it was--the ta-ta team for the lingerie laborers went into triage trauma mode.

2 minutes later, I had 3 perfect bras and a matching pair of hot pink panties (bonus). I am serious. It was an amazing sight to behold--the actions of my sisters, not the items.

Ripping the tag off the beige, I gave Sara the money and asked her to cash me out. BAM!! It was done. The entire process--the panicked explanation, the girls gathering the bras, the "girls" being gathered, and the payment transaction--took 15 minutes. I was lifted up in more than one way.

As I strode out the door in my perks and pearls, I was reminded that we are so much better together. "Lift and separate" may be a good way to market an undergarment, but it is not a way to live a joy-filled life. Take the extra 5 minutes to smile at someone--to find common ground and to just be human together. It is a way to be salt and light.

Let me break it down simpler. As we run our errands, stand in line at the checkout, or wait in the doctor's office, let us be the type of person that is synonymous with a good brassiere: Comfortable to be around, not tight and pressing. Let us be uplifting, considering how to bear each other's burdens and keep each other looking good.

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works." Hebrews 10:24