Day 2: Love is Kind

Kindness is something that we try to instill in our children...
                     
                   "Please don't do that. That wasn't kind."

"Be kind to your brother!"

                         "Justin and Caleb will you be kind to... and go offer to mow their lawn?"

Kindness is something we want to see in our children, but as adults we begin to attach conditions to the level of kindness we'll show.

                                                             
                                                                Love is... Kind....             

         Love is a flippant word... 'I love you'... 'I love that'... 'I love...'... 'I love this...' 'I love that...'

When the word love comes out of our mouth, it often requires no action or sacrifice on our part.

However, when we love the way that God tells us to love... action is necessary.

   Galatians 5:14 says, "Love your neighbor as yourself."

We may not like ourselves at times and even partake in self destructive behavior and patterns but if we didn't love we would shrivel up and to the point of death. You chose to love yourself each time you take a shower. Each time you put a bite of food in your mouth. With every brush of your hair, with every smile on your face... you are loving yourself.

You see, it is a choice to love.

We can not 'like' something or someone but still offer love.
We can detest the body we have but love it enough to provide it the basics for survival.
We don't have to like our job but we certainly love the paycheck that comes from it.

        Love is a choice.

Being kind in our love means to love your neighbor as yourself.

Liking the lifestyle of the homeless man on the corner is different than loving him enough to remove your own shoes and offer them for him to wear.

Liking your family member that is engaged in risky behavior and loving them enough to show them the kindness of Jesus are two very different things.

Liking your husband is dependent upon his actions, loving him is dependent upon yours.

How do we begin to move forward in a direction that offers kindness in place of our anger, kindness in place of our hurt, kindness in place of our disappointment, kindness in place of our judgement.

It all begins with 'loving intentionally.'

Removing the expectation from the recipient and placing back in your lap.

Don't offer your shoes to the homeless man and expect him to come pull your weeds.
Don't make your husbands coffee with the expectation that he will take out the trash.
Don't offer a bed in your house to someone you love with the hope that one day they will repay you.

Offer your kindness because that is what honors God.

       "...whoever is kind to the 'needy' honors God." --Proverbs 14:31

Oh, how I am needy...  Oh, how you are needy!

Can you think of one person that you encounter that is in 'need' of your kindness... your love?

Perhaps your dying marriage is hinging on your ability to be kind. Your kindness (love) is what the woman at work has desperately been crying out for.
Your parent, your neighbor, your children... will you offer kindness?

Will you change the rules of the 'love' game?

Will you love the way Jesus asked you too?

Would you be kind?

You don't have to like someone or something to offer love. Kindness is dependent on you.

Will you CHOOSE to love today?

Love is patient...

Love is KIND!

Kindness causes us to swallow our pride and act in a way that honors God.

How different our lives may look if 'kindness' was the response of our heart. How different our divorce rate in the church could be if kindness was our response.

How different will you be? Will you choose to love intentionally today?

Challenge for day 2: Be intentional... offer kindness more than once today. Make it a daily rhythm.

Day 2 of listening to "The proof of your love" by For King and Country
http://youtu.be/pr9YVD05x8M

Send this link to anyone who has the ability to love. Together let's begin to change the landscape of love.





6 comments:

  1. Pray for kindness. Pray for patience. God is really good at answering prayer. When we started down the journey of Ray losing his job, we prayed for wisdom. We knew we needed help in navigating the future successfully and who better to help us but the Creator Himself! So pray. It really works!

    Remember that Christ said that what you do to the least of these, you do unto me. He's telling us to be kind, even to those we don't want to show kindness to. Ok, that's a whole different study. :)

    Thanks Nicole, for all the hard work and study you are putting in to this on our behalf. I appreciate being reminded that I need to be more patient and kind. What gems will you have tomorrow, I wonder?

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  2. So hard to choose love sometimes, but what a great reminder that it is a choice. I want to create this landscape of love in my life. Thank you so much for sharing this!

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    1. A choice indeed! Hard for sure! I like the way you phrased that "I want to create this landscape of love in my life." Amen!!!

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  3. I want to love with "agape" love. Thanks Nicole for inviting me to this.

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    1. Agape love sounds great... Thanks for taking this journey.

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