Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32
It’s a calling from our LORD… be light, salt, kind, loving, forgiving and tenderhearted. Nobody wants to be tenderhearted because that means you are also vulnerable. It hurts to make yourself vulnerable because to open yourself up to others has no guarantee of success associated with it. God never said that being obedient to Him would result in automatic joy or happiness. Does that mean it’s not worth doing? No. Does it mean that we won’t need to walk away from the ones who hurt and disappoint us sometimes? No. Is it a sin to walk away? No. It’s probably a sin to give up and not try again. The sin is to quit trying.
We have to rely on God to help us forgive – and forgive as quickly as possible. Forget? Well… not really. It’s like you sort of tuck it in the back of your mind. You don’t want to dwell on it, but you don’t want to forget completely so you aren’t that stupid again. I don’t need to keep hitting my head against the same post over and over. That’s just an insane thing to do! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. I refuse to do anything remotely insane ever again.
Does that mean I don’t forgive past wrongs? No. I need for others to forgive me – and frankly, I need God to forgive me – so I will absolutely forgive others when I feel I’ve been wronged. This ol’ world needs more kindness and less anger-driven violence, to be sure. If you allow hurt feelings to fester and get infected, it affects all aspects of your life.
How can we shine for God and serve Him if there’s a cloud of hurt hanging over our heads? We just have to ask God to help us through those hurtful times and be what He wants us to be! I want to be light, salt, kind, loving, and yes… even tenderhearted. It doesn’t mean we are door mats. It doesn’t mean we are stupid enough to walk back and take more. We’re not.
We can conquer the hurt we encounter in this life with help from God. We can conquer the hate we encounter in this life with help from God!
Are you ready to spring into action – and throw kindness into this wicked world like it’s confetti??? Instead of deciding to merely DEAL with the hurt in our lives, let’s trust God to help us HEAL from church hurt and other disappointments along life’s way so we can effectively SHINE for Him! When we live in the complete freedom that Christ bought for us, it makes Him smile and it makes us whole! 🙂
I’m not sure why people think that destruction is a way to be heard. Frustration, perhaps – but a better thing to do when you are frustrated is to pray. It goes back to putting prayer in its rightful place – first place. Make prayer your first resource instead of your last resort! Will prayer make a difference? I believe it does! Will it change anything? Yes, it will. Prayer is an act of faith and trust in Almighty God. It says you know without a doubt that God is in control and will see you through the difficult times.
Can a tree be kind? If so, the humble Sycamore was kind to ol’ Zach that day when Jesus was in town! Kind trees, and people, are more interested in the wellbeing of others in their realm of influence than they are in themselves. After Zacchaeus climbed down from the tree, did you see it recorded in God’s Word that the tree began to boast and brag about its part of the story? Did the Sycamore demand to be given a medal of valor? No… the humble little Sycamore just stayed rooted right there and felt grateful to be used by Father God in the story.
Kind people are sensitive souls, but it’s better than having a hard heart. Humble bees don’t wear their Christianity in an obvious way, but those around them know where they stand and what they believe. They live their life quietly and walk humbly with the LORD.
Kind folks keep lists. Now, as they get older, those lists may get misplaced from time to time, but there’s always a list of tasks to do. There’s always someone who needs to receive a call or letter – and certainly someone who needs a prayer said for them!
Kindness means accepting everyone where they are. God sees us and knows where we are and where we need to be heading. He doesn’t point a crooked finger at us and start nagging – so why should we?
Being kind encompasses encouragement. It’s easy to say nice things to those we are comfortable around and are friends with, but what about people that you would not normally reach out to? I challenge you to encourage someone you would not normally speak to, let alone encourage.
This is the most difficult of all things… know that God has forgiven you, and now… forgive yourself. Don’t let the devil rob you of the joy God wants you to have. He will try to tell you that God didn’t really forgive you – because you can still remember what you did. Well, yes – there are consequences for sin to be sure, but that does not mean that God didn’t forgive the sinful act. Once you have forgiven yourself, you can be a more kind person to others. That weight will be lifted and life will be so much better!
Don’t be afraid to take the risk… we’ve all hidden in the ivy vine at one time or the other! Sometimes the experience is enough to make you think, “That’s IT – I’m never going to try to be nice to anyone ever again!” Well, just know that it’s not an attitude that comes from God. When people stomp your heart and misunderstand your intentions, just back off and go home. Have a good cry and pray to God for answers. He will help you get your act together so you can get over the trauma of rejection and hurt feelings – and try again. Folks in the world would say… GET OVER IT AND GET ON WITH IT. 
What an interesting experience we had at our local McDonald’s restaurant the other day! As you know, my husband and I are both type 2 diabetics. We had been shopping at Walmart and I began to have symptoms of low blood sugar, which is very unusual for me. I’m not a disciplined patient – that is to say, I don’t typically carry candy or glucose tablets in my purse. I know… I know – I should.
HEART HUNGER 