Elul 18 Love is kind “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God is Christ forgave you.” Are you aware of how God showed you loving-kindness today. How many times? Were you grateful? Our job is to give from what we have been given so we must first recognize how God bestows kindness to us, thank Him for it and then pay it forward. We are all going through our own trials and troubles. We are all being tested and tried on every leaning side. We all carry burdens from our past that we haven’t let go of yet. We are all plagued by the aftereffects of trauma. We cannot see how heavy someone’s heart is. But we can choose to listen then encourage and gently exhort others. We can choose to meet needs, show abundant generosity and charity and leave them in a better place than when we met them. We can gift them with our time, our presence and our finances. We can offer a compassionate smile. We can put our hand on their shoulder and say nothing at all. We can say silent prayers for them or place them on prayer chains. Charles Spurgeon says, No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.” Sometimes we get kindness confused with comfort and good feelings. Codependents, in particular, and those with the gift of mercy can think kindness is a “feel good” thing and that can lead to enabling when, in fact, sometimes the kindest thing to do is speak the truth in love as the Spirit leads us. The kindest thing a doctor can do is give you a correct diagnosis and send you into treatment that will possibly make you feel way worse than you currently feel...but that is the kindest thing they can do to aid your healing. That is why the scripture says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but kisses from the enemy are nothing but lies. Do you know someone kind enough to be honest with you? How are you measuring up in the kindness department? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities put before you? If you miss one and catch it later, confess and repent and keep your eyes opened to see the next one. Making new habits takes time...just keep being aware and act as often as possible!!!! The Holy Spirit will help prompt you...follow the nudges. Do the kindest things in the kindest way!!! Be kind and carry on!!!!
Follow the season of Teshuvah during this Month of Elul with Guest blogger Denise Dee Lytle Gibbs who originally posted these blogs on her Facebook page Fall Feast Prayer Initiative.