Faithful Friday: Love is Kind- Part 1

It's been a long period of silence, and I do sincerely apologize.  Two months ago I wrote about patience, and I suppose I've accidentally tested yours as I fell away from blogging after planning to discuss kindness.  I did write that post, but the conviction and the events after made me hesitate to post it.  Today I'm "publishing it" because I've run out of excuses not to.

Thinking about kindness in the context of 1 Cor. 13:4- especially it's placement in defining love as first patient, second kind- well, it blows me away.  It's convicting, because I tend to go around life thinking I'm a pretty good person-but this kind of biblical loving kindness demands so much more than I truthfully want to give.  Months ago, in preparation for this post I wrote this:

"Kindness implies generosity and goodness.  Like patience, it is characterized by gentleness, mildness, indulgence, understanding, and tolerance.  It is also characterized as affectionate, altruistic, amicable, benevolent, benign, bounteous, charitable, compassionate, congenial, considerate, cordial, courteous, friendly, good-hearted, humane, humanitarian, soft touch, softhearted, sympathetic, tenderhearted, and thoughtful. 

True kindness, Spirit-filled kindness, the kind that is supported by patience is miraculous.  It is a selfless kindness to freely give despite one’s suffering and the circumstances that one endures, to be kind when the temptation is to hoard all of one’s resources and energies to overcome one’s own battles.  At the deepest levels, this Loving Kindness responds with goodness, tenderness, and compassion even in the face of maltreatment.  This kindness is not tit-for-tat because love is not tit-for-tat.  This kindness is healing and it's tough.

Love that is patient and kind requires that in our persistence we keep a soft touch- be unwavering but not tenacious.  Love does not return maltreatment for maltreatment. Love requires that our actions and our best selves aren't reserved for specific situations or groups of people, the people whose actions we understand and therefore accept.  

Blessedly, we’re not expected to love like this on our own.  As we are filled with the Spirit and encounter God and his ultimate sacrificial love through Christ we become more adept at loving one another. We learn. Moment by moment. Prayer by prayer.  Opportunity by opportunity.  We will fail, but He will not.  In His grace and forgiveness He will use our failures as teachable moments."

{Continued in Faithful Friday: Love is Kind- Part 2}