Walking in Kindness

I was reminiscing the other day, thinking back to thoughts from previous life. I often saw what I call "unintentional rudeness," those instances when one is so focused on self that they ignore the way their actions impact others. It might be something as simple as going through a door and letting it close on the person behind you. Quite simply, it is living a life that is inconsiderate. If I am to live a life that reflects the person of Christ, I need to be aware how my actions impact others; I will be aware of the consequences of my actions, I will live with others in mind.

When I practice the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23, (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.) I will consider how my life intersects with those around me. Christ lived each day with a focus on others as He looked ahead to the cross. His was not a life of comfort and ease, nor was it a life pushing for personal success. His was a life dedicated to meeting the needs of others, even at His own expense. When I truly follow His example, I live to meet the needs of others; however, I can only meet needs that I am aware of and I will only be aware of other's needs as I make those folks important in my life. Even "strangers" become important when I realize that my life impacts theirs, even in ways that may seem insignificant to me. Hence, the idea of unintentional rudeness. I do not need to go out of my way to be rude, I can do that with no thought at all. Likewise, I do not need to take drastic detours to be kind to others; I can demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit without radically changing what I do. What I need to change is the focus of my life and the reason I do what I do. I need to be others-focused and live to represent Christ in a world that desperately needs to see him.

As I walk through each day, I need to avoid unintentional rudeness and live a life that is indeed considerate to those around me. I need to see people and I need to see their needs. It may cost me a couple of minutes here and there, but the rewards far outweigh the costs as I represent Christ by living for others. In this world, that kind of behavior stands out and it may open a door to share the gospel Christ with others. 

Walking Day After Day

My, how quickly time goes by. Just yesterday (Jan 1) I thought that I might make posts each week. Obviously that did not happen. I do, however, want to do more posting this year. So, here goes.

As I look back on the week, the first thing that comes to mind was the Sunday morning message at church. The last two messages really were a blessing to the heart. Pastor preached about being involved in the ministry and then about staying true to the faith. You can find the message on youtube or on SermonAudio. I would strongly recommend viewing/listening.

Next I think of work and the boxes. The first thought that comes to mind is the necessity of everyone doing their job and not leaving their work for someone else to do. When we only do some of what is expected of us, someone else needs to pick up the slack. Basically, we are asking them to do their job and some of ours. We need to do our job in such a way that we can assist others as much as is possible.

On to today, Valentine's Day. While the focus is obviously on those that we love here, any discussion of love must include the love of God. He not only declared His love for us, He demonstrated it. And not only was it demonstrated, it was shown in a manner that revealed the depth of His love -- He gave His Son to die in our place. No greater love has ever been shown. He who had no sin died for those who are defined by sin. That indeed is love.