Extraordinary kindness is both strong AND patient

On a night where I reflected over an extraordinary kindness that was extended to me four years ago, I sense that the extraordinary kindness I was shown was in fact gleaned from the extraordinary kindness of God — in whom extraordinary kindness is founded through Christ the Lord.

The extraordinary kindness I was shown was via an invitation to friendship and fellowship with a lecturer and professor who taught me in one of his last years before retirement.  I had faced a very hard circumstance, and due to some intransigent family ties, I was invited to quarterly New Testament Research Fellowship meetings he held — and I’m no scholar.  Much of what is discussed is way over my head, yet I’m able to contribute in other ways.  I sincerely appreciate the friendship within this group that includes family times, milestone birthdays celebrated, etc.

It may not seem like an extraordinary kindness, but because of its timeliness and the nature of the steady encouragement it has been, it has been extraordinarily kind.  An unanticipated silver lining.

God’s extraordinary kindness to send us the Saviour, while we were still sinners, is an infinitely more remarkable kindness.  Such a kindness can be replicated by us via the instrument of a grace that conveys unequivocal patience.  It’s that quality of overlooking an offence.  It is choosing to be kind even when others aren’t, and even being insistently kind when they’re insistently selfish, rude and uncompromising.

But extraordinary kindness is also strong to the degree that it won’t give up on a person who could still make a miraculous recovery, while also being strong to the degree that it won’t be trampled.  It is immensely kind to gently insist boundaries be respected — a kindness that will intervene in an attempt to stop someone injuring another.

It is up to each of us to practice this extraordinary kindness.  Because it’s from God we need to be connected to the heart of God to be purveyors of it.  It is strong and patient, to the degree that onlookers will wonder where such strength and patience came from.  It can only come from God, and it can only work through a channel of God.  This extraordinary kindness that translates into radical strength and patience is transforming and miraculous.

And the biggest miracle is, it transforms us as we practice it.

We only need to ask God for more ability to be extraordinarily kind and God will supply the situations and God will provide the grace.

Photo by Tom Parsons on Unsplash