You Know How to be Kind

"You know how to be kind."

Those words were spoken by a wise, older woman at a conference I recently went to. She was talking about evangelism and using our homes and meeting people... and her words struck me right in my offended heart. I wasn't offended by her, she was lovely, I was offended by someone else from the day before.

The reality is that sometimes the people we meet and interact with will be nasty. We live in a nasty world. We live in a world full of people who only know sin; they grew up in sinful homes, were categized by sinful systems and education, and have only had relationships with people like them. Broken people. And broken people tend to let slip a little bit of nastiness every now and again.

The bit of nastiness that got spilled on me the day before came from a coworker and it involved an emotional over-reaction and the f-word, which was a bit shocking. Anyway, to make a long story short, I walked away without saying anything and she later gave me a piece of her scone, which I think is her form of apologizing, and we moved on. Well, she moved on, and I was still a bit upset.

The next day is when the Lord granted those wise words from that wise woman. She'll never know my name, but He does, and He knew what I needed.

The fact of the matter is; I do know how to be kind. When the Lord puts me in situations that are less than pleasant and expects me to respond with grace and kindness He is not asking me to do something foreign. He is asking me to exercise a muscle which He has been training from childhood and will continue to strengthen throughout my whole life. Besides knowing how to be kind, He has also given me His Spirit to equip me to act in kindness when every part of my flesh just wants to retort something rude or spread a little gossip.

Perhaps you too need this gentle reminder for your messy husband, annoying neighbour, or the difficult woman at church. You know how to be kind. God is not asking something strange of you, and He will also help you. So, when we get into those situations where kindness is far from our desires, we say a prayer, grasp our Father's hand, and do what we know how to do.

Comments

Maybe It's Supposed to Be Hard

We want a whole, happy, calm life. We want to be healthy. In "crunchie" circles, people use essential oils, grow their own produce, and stop using plastics. In Christian circles, there is an idea, an ideology, gaining ground that presupposes a holistic, restful life is possible if one follows the spiritual disciplines of the desert fathers and mothers. Mysticism. Prayer, scripture, silence, solitude, sabbath, fasting, rest, etc. (If you're looking for a couple interesting reads on this topic you could see these books by Jefferson Bethke and John Mark Comer. ) I want a holistic, happy, balanced life. My kitchen contains wooden cutting boards and loose leaf tea. I begin all my mornings with homemade kombucha, prayer, quiet, and scripture. I do Pilates throughout the week and hold the Lord's Day as holy every Sunday. And I'm tired. And I'm weary. And I wonder if that's just how it is in this sin-soaked world as we run to Heaven. After all, the Spirit tell

Being Single is Kind of Like Not Sleeping Through the Night

For as long as you can remember, you have been told that normal people sleep through the night. You've been trained to sleep through the night. The vast majority of your friends sleep through the night. Your entire family sleeps through the night. Everyone at church sleeps through the night. But you don't. At first, a number of years ago, you were really frustrated about not sleeping through the night, and the frustration was compounded by people consistently asking questions as to your ability to sleep. Have you tried medication? Have you turned all your screens off before bed? Do you exercise? Do you drink caffeine in the afternoon? The fact of the matter is, you do all the things you're supposed to do, but you still wake up in the middle of the night, for apparently no reason. You're confused and frustrated, so you pray. The next night, when it happens again, you pray. Soon, waking up in the night has changed from a time of frustration to a time of worship and gett

4 Ways to Help Single People

It is very likely that not all single people will completely agree with the list I'm about to share with you, because no two people are alike, but I've heard similar things from single people that I follow online and think it will be helpful to share these. If nothing else, let this post lead you to have conversations with the single people in your life and find out what would be helpful to them. 1. Hug Them I'll admit, I'm not much of a hugger, but a few months ago another woman I follow recommended to her audience that they begin hugging their single friends and I've been thinking about it since. Now (due to a change in my life) I'm seeing certain friends more often than I had been, and I am also receiving more hugs; this is good for me . In particular, it is good for me that one of my guy friends often gives me a hug when I see him. I don't mean that in a sensual sense, I mean it in a brotherly sense. The quick hug he offers tells me that I am seen, I

by jot and tittle

Search This Blog