Patience Kindness Goodness Patience First we need patience

Patience, Kindness & Goodness

Patience First, we need patience when mistreated. We also need patience when provoked. We need patience in dealing with the imperfections of others.

It may be the driver ahead of us who is driving too slowly, or the friend who is late for an appointment, or the neighbor who is inconsiderate. More often than not it is the unconscious action of some family member whose irritating habit is magnified because of close daily association. The kind of patience it takes to overlook these circumstances is probably demanded of us most often within our own families or Christian fellowships. [2]

Patience First, we need patience when mistreated. We also need patience when provoked. We need patience in dealing with the imperfections of others. Fourth, patience is needed in times of adversity.

The character trait of patience is like a wheel that has many spokes. Patience in mistreatment Patience when faced with provocation Patience in tolerating the shortcomings of others Patience in times of adversity

Kindness, an ability to serve others practically in a way which makes me vulnerable, which comes from having a deep inner security. Its opposite is envy, which leaves me unable to rejoice in another’s job. And its fake alternative is manipulative good deeds, doing good for others so I can congratulate myself and feel I am “good enough” for others or for God. (p. 154)

The mom who is exhausted from caring for the children, managing the house, and trying to work. The dad who needs something to relieve the stress of the demands on him. The worker who is longing for someone to encourage them in their work. The teenager who needs someone to see something positive in them. The one devastated and in need of forgiveness and restoration. The person who “just ran into the store” to get an item (and is now behind you and your shopping basket full of groceries).

The sick person that needs love and care, not probing questions. The person seeking truth that wants honest answers not condemnation or lectures. The animal that needs a drink The child that longs for someone to get on their level and “see” them The person who is speaking but no one is listening The person trying to leave a parking lot but no one will give them a chance to do so. The one who can’t keep up on the things at home because of the crisis they are going through The person who has made horrible choices in the past and needs someone to give them a chance to prove they are better than that one mistake.

Our natural inclination is to show kindness only to those for whom we have some natural affinity—family, friends, likable neighbors. But God shows kindness to those who are most despicable—the ungrateful and wicked. Have you ever tried to be kind to someone who was ungrateful? Unless God’s grace was working in your heart in a significant way, your reaction to his ingratitude may well have been, “I’ll never do anything for him again!” But God doesn’t turn His back on the ungrateful. And so Jesus says to us, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (Luke 6: 35). [3]

Our Last Trait is Goodness

Patience, Kindness & Goodness

Discouragement Cynicism Self-absorption Isolation