The Beauty of Beloved Kindness by Jodie Pine
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
Unkindness really can’t be disguised or hidden, can it? Laid bare, our negative interactions with grace-less words and an ugly tone cause harm, whether intended or unintended. Clothing ourselves with the robe of God’s belovedness, on the other hand, enables us to envelop those in our midst with the beauty of kindness by choosing to affirm their belovedness as well.
When I descended the stairs a few nights ago, I was clearly not wearing the robe of God’s belovedness but was instead surrounded by a cloud of frustration after tucking in my youngest son. My older son asked me what was wrong; had his brother done something to upset me? Feeling the heat of an unwanted spotlight I replied, “Um, no. It really wasn’t anything he did. I think it was mostly a lack of patience on my part.”
Through the nakedness of being exposed in that moment, God humbled me in a way I hadn’t expected. I received my son’s rebuke as an act of kindness that helped lead me to repentance and to rediscover my belovedness.
The next morning with both boys in the kitchen, I asked my youngest to forgive me for not having spoken kindly to him. And I thanked my older son for pointing out my unkindness in the gentle way that he had. “I want to encourage us to keep doing that,” I shared with them. “Letting each other know when one of us speaks or acts out of line so that we can work together to make things right with forgiveness and restoration.”
It’s when we are securely wrapped in the robe of our own belovedness that we are able to wrap others up with us in compassion, kindness, meekness, humility, and patience. Then we’ll discover that, just as the ugliness of unkindness can’t be disguised or hidden, neither can the beauty of beloved kindness.
Prayer: God, open our hearts to acknowledge and affirm both our own belovedness and the belovedness of those around us. Reveal to us the ways that our interactions with others are not bringing you glory, and may your kindness always lead to our repentance. Amen.
Dig Deeper: Read Colossians 3:12-17.
Discussion Questions:
How has unkindness been revealed in your life?
What could the beauty of beloved kindness look like for you?
about Jodie Pine
Jodie is passionate about discovering God in unexpected places and helping others do the same. Her five kids (aged 16 to 28) have been her greatest teachers and biggest blessings, and becoming a grandma has been one of her greatest joys.
