Kindness
Today’s Scripture Selection: First Corinthians 13:4
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
Be kind.
It sounds so simple; so straightforward; even “easy” perhaps.
But is it?
Sometimes we are (or think we are) too tired or angry or rushed or (insert your own reason here) to do it.
Sometimes, oddly enough, we forget to be kind to those closest to us – the ones we profess to love.
Sometimes we simply don’t care enough at the time to take that one, small, extra step toward kindness.
Or at least I find that to be the case.
But Scripture makes it clear that kindness is a big part of what love is all about. Love, that is, as an action – and not just a “sentimental” feeling.
So, the apostle Paul – when writing about spiritual gifts – and especially about “the greatest” one called love – specifically mentioned kindness.
Put in that context, kindness takes on a whole new meaning. It is so much more than a courtesy; a politeness.
Kindness is linked with things like
- Devotion
- Honor
- Patience
- Compassion
- Humility
- Forgiveness
- Gentleness
- And, dare I say it, Christ-like-ness.
Maybe being kind isn’t such an easy thing to do after all.
But it is what God calls us to do and be; over and over again.
After all, look how kind God has been to us.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your everlasting, loving, kindness. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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