Be Ye Kind to One Another

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32 KJV

I witnessed something this week that has had a profound impact on me. I am forever changed by watching this response from the Godly heart of a six-year old. Here is what happened.

On Tuesday, a normally good-tempered two-year-old I know had had enough of being quarantined. It was on his last nerve. He wanted to play in a bouncey house and he wanted it right then! He proceeded to pitch a real fall-in-the-floor and kick-your-feet tantrum. His mother did not seem to understand that sometimes you just need a bouncey house, and she said a quiet but firm “no.” In the video she sent me, it showed the wails getting louder and the feet kicking harder. He is face down, lying in the floor, pounding and kicking with all his might. In the edge of the frame, you can see his sweet-spirited sister, Anna Story, calmly leave the room. She comes back with his little coverlet, and she tenderly covers his prone body with it. He continues to cry, but not quite so loudly. Then she takes his tiny pillow and ever so gingerly slips it under his head, to give him what little comfort she can. He is clearly taken by surprise. You can see this is not the response he has expected and he accepts her comfort. He is calmed and the tantrum is over.

What a revelation! I thought back to the times when I have lost it with people. How I would have longed for someone to comfort me in my display of bad temper. I thought of the times adults have lost their tempers with me. I wish I could have seen them with a heart like this young girl’s. I wish I could have seen their discomfort and misery and not focused on their bad behavior.

When people anger us or annoy us, most of us make it about us. Jesus says it is not about us but about them, if we are to be His hands and feet. We tend to react in much the same mode as they do. If their voice gets terse or a bit louder, ours may as well. If they list faults, we defend by coming back with our list. Or maybe we don’t, but we self-righteously judge them as we outwardly do the right thing. We are thinking about them, but we are not caring for them. We are not loving them well and considering how we can serve them in their wrongness, their frustration, and their soon-to-be-regretted behavior. Oh, that we could see them through the eyes of compassion like Anna Story did. Oh, that we could see them through the eyes of Jesus.

Then I began to think of how Biblically based this young girl’s behavior was. I immediately thought of Ephesians 4:32 telling us to “be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted.” I love the King James Version because that “ye” means “you.” The verse is not a platitude; it is a personally targeted admonition for “you” (me) to be kind and tenderhearted.

Our Children’s Ministry has proven that children are never too young to be taught Bible verses and behaviors, and Anna Story has learned these things at our church and in her home as well. I believe some of the following verses may have been ingrained into this child who has become my model of Christlike response to the bad behavior of others:

· And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42 ESV

· Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 ESV

· For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:4-8 NIV

· Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10 ESV

We are about to enter into the hardest weeks of the quarantine from the Corona Virus. The novelty has worn off. Initial thoughts that this is similar to a vacation are beginning to fade. You will run across someone whose nerves are frayed and who want their particular version of a bouncey house to escape to. You yourself may become frustrated with customer service people, thoughtless neighbors, and especially those closest to you. When you see someone who has had it (maybe with you) consider my young friend’s example and cover them with love and pillow their head with your comfort and kindness. You are most like Jesus when you do for the undeserving. Challenge yourself to outdo “one another in honor” and “brotherly affection.”

I have listed some additional Scriptures below to prayerfully consider. I am praying that God will speak to you through His Word this week and included the video. Just paste the link into your browser at the top of screen..

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AkLWZWVibkTyoSdT_CHuT-2uznFl?e=614Hbe

Be Ye Kind to One Another

Colossians 3:12

Galatians 6:1

1 Peter 3:8

Micah 6:8

Luke 6:35