Tenderhearted

"and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). I love this little passage tucked away in the middle of Ephesians. Imagine a church which took this passage seriously. What a desirous community this would be. In a world where the tenderheartedness and kindness are relegated to the periphery and viewed as weak, a community which embodied these virtues would stand out. People would be drawn to such a community by its magnetic pull.

My problem is that while I want this to be true both of the church and me, I find it hard to practice in my own life when someone crosses me in some real or imagined way. The desire to lash out and the desire to get even always seem to stick their heads up first. I draw comfort and strength from my belief that God is using these times and circumstances to make me more tenderhearted and that in the midst of our life together as a community of faith we will grow together in kindness and tenderheartedness.