Your kindness should be known to all.
~ Philippians 4:5
I read this and come face to face with my desire to imitate Christ
and my own brokenness and need for grace.
I continue to read, to crawl under the covers of His word...
The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
I pull the sheets over my head and pray.
I know how that peace which makes no sense is born.
Then I read some more,
God’s Word encouraging me
To fix my mind on all that is good.
Whatever things are true, whatever things matter,
whatever things are righteous, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely and lovable,
whatever things are gracious,
whatever virtue there is
and whatever praiseworthy thing there is,
think on these things. Philippians 4:8.
That's a good perspective to hold onto.
For Christ's sake, for my own continuing conversion,
and for the sake of those whom God has placed in my life, I keep at it.
Kind-ness urges me on.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and
purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where
like a shadow or a friend.
Excerpt from Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye
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