Rise Up

What a beautiful Sunday! The weather is awesome the birds are singing and the wild flowers just look artistic! Our sermon was great today. We have been reviewing the fruits of the spirit. The whole series has been enlightening, but most especially the last three weeks for me. Today was on KINDNESS. Specifically on "How to Treat People with Kindness".

Colossians 3:12 (New International Version)
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
James 2:8
8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right.

Does this not seem it would be easy? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the hardest, these commands should not be too high up on being able to accomplish them. They take nothing other than the gifts God freely has given us. We don't have to research, go to school, read, nothing... They are just given to us. All we have to do is to receive them. Receive them, and...oh, um... USE THEM! Perhaps we should even go a bit farther than using them, perhaps we should display them. Imagine the difference we could make in this city, in this world of ours if we did clothe ourselves with compassion and kindness..gentleness. What if it exuded from the depths of our souls~

As our pastor told us today, accept everybody. Find something good about them and focus on it. We all have room to grow. We all have faults, we all have strengths. I am not who I was, I am not who I am going to be. Allow the room for growth in everyone. If you have that one particular person that just grates on your nerves... stop right now. Before you do anything else, find a strength in that person. Pray for the person and your ability to focus on the strength. Commit yourself to letting them know about it. Strive to make a connection with them and to love them for who they are. Rise above, reach out and take the gifts that are so freely given.