Kindness

by Intern Pastor Katie Kringstad

O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
everyone mocks me.

For whenever I speak, I must cry out,
I must shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me
a reproach and derision all day long.

If I say, “I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,”
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.

For I hear many whispering:
“Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
“Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him.”

But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.

O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.

I was reading Jeremiah 20:7-1 last week and it reminded me that words hurt. Jeremiah says, “I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.” “All my close friends are watching for me to stumble.” Feeling as if others are against you hurts and knowing that others are saying hurtful things about you is very painful as well and we hear that in the words of Jeremiah.

There is a lot of pain in this world. It can be easy to put our blinders on and dismiss the pain that is around us and only focus on ourselves and our own lives and problems. Maybe if I just don’t look, it will go away, I won’t have to feel it. We see people being hurtful to one another at school, work, the community, online and in our own families and sometimes even in our churches. Rudeness, sarcasm and gossip can be catchy and easy to fall in to.

However, love, kindness, compassion, and serving one another can also be easy to fall into. I would like to share a video with you that shows how one person’s kindness can have a ripple effect.

We can each make a difference in our homes, churches, schools, workplaces and communities. We can share the love of Jesus in these small ways that we may not think will make a difference but they do. Each small act of kindness matters. Each new day is an opportunity to show the love of Jesus to others and try to live our lives more like Jesus lived his. We are each beautifully made in the image of God and if only we could look at one another and see that the world would be a different place. Let us see the world and people the way Jesus did and to take moments to give a bit of kindness and love to another whenever given the opportunity.

As it is said in Romans 12:9-12 “⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. ¹² Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

Have a blessed week!

Katie Kringstad
Intern Pastor

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