“Be Kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Amazingly, today’s post is just going to be a little blurb about this week in the challenge not because I didn’t learn anything new, but because I really had to take this week to rely on the past Fruits I’ve been working on. Not surprisingly, I had no idea what to do differently for this portion. I mean, I’m not usually a mean-spirited crazy person, or anything like that, so how could I exhibit Kindness more? I’ve already worked on a version of it with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience ….. Ohhhh. And then, once again, I was reminded that they are all reliant on each other. This week more than any of the others has caused me to work all of the previous Fruits (and some not yet introduced in the challenge) into the past seven days to practice Kindness.
“Love is not a feeling, it is an overmastering passion. To cast ourselves down like a waterfall….”
“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of Kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26
I really love this entire chapter and have poured over it so many times. But not until today—yes, we all know I’m a slow learner—did I realize that wisdom is also a large part of this week of Kindness, and even assists this whole challenge! You really need wisdom to know when to listen or give advice, to act or just be a Kind friend. Take the next week and try one—I’m only saying one!—Kind act for family, friends, or a stranger that you don’t normally do or that is out of your comfort zone. And remember to carry your wisdom, Patience, and Love with you. I’m still working on fine-tuning my wisdom skills, but from this point forward, I plan to bring my wits with me. You never know when they’re going to be needed…
“Life is mostly froth and bubble. Two things stand like stone: Kindness in another’s trouble, and courage in your own.”
–Adam L. Gordon