Rebranding Christianity - Indirect kindness

I've shared before how God has set me on a mission to practice kindness. I get anxious at times thinking about how far this could go. God keeps reminding me that there is no difference between in-person kindness and the kindness of my thoughts toward others or my speech towards them when they are not present. If I can show kindness to someone in person, then I should be able to keep being kind to them in my thoughts and in my conversations with others. I'll be honest, this form of indirect kindness takes some work.

In chapter 5, of his book Rebranding Christianity, Jeff Jones talks about how easy it can be to fall into the "Christians as victims" or an Us vs Them mentality. He makes a great point saying, "Unsurprisingly, when you fight against those who you are called to love, they don't appreciate it. When you make enemies out of those who you're supposed to reach, they won't feel the love." 

Unfortunately, I often hear Christians speaking and thinking unkindly toward those we are called to love. It's heartbreaking because they're my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I want to see them grow and receive all God has for them. I need to find an edifying way to encourage them toward kindness.

Kindness in all its forms is not optional in God's kingdom.


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