The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these things there is no law. (Galatians 5: 22-23)
How did it go being patient all day? I know the weather and traffic are out of our control, but I’m guessing the cold commute has been trying many people’s patience lately, but perhaps for a day you were able to handle it a bit better? Even if “patient day” didn’t go so well, have you noticed a difference in yourself since you’ve been living out the fruit of the spirit all week? I hope so.
Friday is Day 5 – KINDNESS
The idea of being kind (showing kindness to others) is hopefully not a new concept to anyone. But have you ever stopped to think about how much it means to other people when you show them kindness? What does it mean to you when someone is kind to you? It feels good, right?
Paul, from the New Testament, went through all sorts of crazy times during his life. He was often treated unfairly because of his faith (he was beaten and put in prison, among other terrible things), and as a result he greatly appreciated it when people showed him kindness. There’s a story in the book of Acts about when he was on a boat as a prisoner and they were shipwrecked. When they washed up on shore they were treated with unexpected kindness.
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. (Acts 28: 1-3)
How can you be an example of unexpected kindness to people around you today? Be thinking of ways you can be kind to someone else in ways that are simple, subtle or perhaps even unexpected.
Here’s a verse of encouragement for you.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3: 12-13)
Dear God, thank you for your eternal and everlasting kindness. Help us show kindness to others in not only expected ways, but also through unexpected and surprising expressions of your loving kindness. Amen.
How will this effect anewdoxology.com? I’m not sure yet, but hopefully not much. I still have an interest and excitement in sharing my “reflections of faith in an MTV world,” but I also consider it a great honor to have this new opportunity to help the seminary — where I discovered this calling — to recruit the next generation of leaders for the church. I don’t know exactly how my life will change, but there are three things about me that I’m confident will stay the same: 1) I will see life through the perspective of my faith. 2) I will have an interest in popular culture. 3) I will bring my macbook with me.
I spent this past weekend at my grandma’s house with relatives celebrating what we called “Thankmas.” Since we were getting together for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we ate turkey sandwiches and then opened presents (it was like a hybrid holiday). We decided not to draw names and buy gifts for specific people this year. Instead, everyone brought a wrapped gift that cost around ten dollars, and in place of the usual exchanging and opening of gifts, we played a game that included rolling dice and repeatedly stealing gifts from each other until some people had gifts they actually wanted, while others ended up with something that others didn’t want. It was actually pretty fun, at least for me it was.
