THE RIVER OF LOVING KINDNESS

Ephesians 4:32 – “And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you”.

The woman on the other end of the call complained of how it could have been a year, that she ‘could have’ been dead. She recalled how sick she felt that night, and her son-in-law and daughter came and attended to her. But they left soon after for their home, only about ten minutes away. All that she remembered is the ‘feeling’ of being ‘abandoned.’ The fact that her son lived with her didn’t count at all. She held on to this memory fiercely with much anger for over a year and let it build.

Do we also remember and hold on to incidents that made us feel rejected, hated, bitter, resentful and malicious? The Lord asks us to recognize such feelings because they become a hindrance, to who we are truly called to be. They defile our thoughts and emotions with impurity and uncleanness. They mask themselves under the face of hurt and pain, slowly taking root and growing into grudges, indifference and detest. We, as Christians, claim to forgive but fail to remove the root of it all.

True forgiveness will show. It will manifest in how you treat those very people who have caused intense affliction to you. What does it mean to be kind to someone? Kindness is an expression of grace. When the Lord extends grace to us, He treats us not according to what we deserve but according to WHO HE IS! A God who is merciful and gracious.

We need to cultivate a heart of kindness. We must develop compassion, gentleness, empathy, thoughtfulness, tolerance and patience. Praise God that He has already shown us His loving kindness, which is even better than life. May He Himself revive us with His lovingkindness so that we might be able to do the same to others.