Managing Love-God, Others & Ourselves-Part 2

This is part 2 in a series of blogs I am doing on love. If you missed part 1, please go back and read it to understand the full scope of this series.

www.sallystierhoff.com  click on Blogs then on the Orange title Managing Love-God, Others & Ourselves-Part 1

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

In the first blog I wrote about, Love is patient.

Love is kind.  What does it mean to be kind?  People that have a kind personality and character have these attributes: generous, gentle character, considerate, polite, good natured and tenderhearted; they respond to situations in a positive way.  Why would this be such an important aspect of love?  Because it is our Lord’s character.  In Galatians 5:22 where it lists the fruits of the Spirit, kindness is listed as being one of the characters of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us.

Kindness shown through us, gives the world a glimpse of God’s positive affirming presence.  Kindness will most likely be the first thing people notice, after that they may remember what you say.  There is a quote that has stuck in my mind since I first heard it a couple of years ago, I hope it affects you the same way. 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Dr. Maya Angelou

The last part really got to me.  Although in reference to the first part, I do know some things people say and do are not easily forgotten and often contribute to the way people make us feel. May we strive to make people feel valued and loved by God. Genuine kindness open doors to people’s heart allowing God’s Spirit to come into any situation. It may not change people right away but it plants a seed of faith and hope.

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”  Mark Twain

I heard Victor Marx speak to high school students on the internet a few years back and what he said made so much sense.   Now this might not be word for word:  He told the teen girls, “Don’t look for a guy that’s nice, look for a guy that’s kind.  There’s a big difference” I thought that was wonderfully said because nice means pleasant, agreeable and adequate.  No major Bible translation except the Message (from my research) uses the word nice.  I believe it’s because a person can be nice for as long as it takes to get their way, but a person who is genuinely kind because it’s their personality and character.

What about God?  How do we show kindness to God? I believe we are to care about the things God loves and obey and revere Him. Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  Care for His creation:  Genesis 1: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. Care for His people:  Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

“How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at time.”  Morgan Freeman

How do we show kindness to our self? Oh, this can be a hard one. Here is a quick list of ways to take care of our self from the website below.  1. Healthy daily habits 2. Practice gratitude. 3. Kind words – positive self-talk. 4. Be mindful and present. 5. Be responsible for yourself. 6. Enjoy nature. 7. Be less busy. 8. Rest and recharge. 9. Practice acceptance and forgiveness. 10. Less guilt around self-care. 11. Invest in yourself.

https://balancethroughsimplicity.com/how-to-be-kind-to-yourself/

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.”  Mary Davis

In a nutshell, I summarized some of what I found from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.   Kindness, decreases pain because acts of kindness produce endorphins in the body. Kind people have 23% less cortisol the stress hormone.  When people perform acts of kindness there is a significant increase in positive moods, better relationship satisfaction and a decrease in social anxiety.  Depression is reduced and mortality is delayed.  Kindness lowers blood pressure.  https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-science-of-kindness

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

 I hope you, like me, now see kindness in a whole new way.  There are so many dimensions of God’s love.  I praise Him for giving us the ability to love and the ability to possess these most beautiful attributes of love.  Know it’s not one and done, it’s a daily choice.

Prayer

Lord, you are so beautiful and amazing.  If we can love you, others and ourselves even a small fraction of how you love us, we are blessed and can be a blessing to others.  Help us choose love and kindness daily.  Help us overlook the negative and strive to bring positive thinking and positive responses to all the places we find ourselves.  Only with your help Lord can we become more like you.  Thank you, Lord, in Jesus’ name, amen.

God Bless, 

Sally