Yesterday's preparation in love was patience, with the challenge of not saying anything negative. Today, there was plenty of opportunity to demonstrate patience. This morning, as I enjoyed my coffee, I realized that the remote for the living room was missing. I figured that someone had walked off with the remote in their hand and set it down somewhere in the house. I wasn't concerned about the remote, but someone else was. Someone else chose to pass the blame on to me, even though I knew that I didn't lose the remote, and continued to lecture me as we looked for the remote. I stated the facts, as I remembered from the day before, and then chose not to respond to their negative comments. It didn't matter who was responsible for the remote having gone missing, but sometimes people just want to argue anyways. I chose not to enter into the argument and eventually decided to walk away before I said something negative.
S Scripture: "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32
"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3: 3-4
"She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Proverbs 31: 26
O Observation: God is kind to us, He forgives us and blesses us, even though we don't deserve it. We are to treat others this same way. God wants us to bind kindness and truth around our necks because they are important in His sight. We should speak with wisdom and our tone should be kindness, that people would be receptive to the words we speak.
A Application: I need to be gentle in my interactions, helpful to meet the needs of the moment, willing to be flexible, and take the initiate to meet the need shown.
P Prayer: God, I am not as kind as I should be. Help me to practice kindness. In Your loving name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment