Show Notes
What exactly does the Scripture say about kindness? Peaceable and Kind host Derek Vreeland discusses the second of the twin themes of this podcast—kindness. In a world that seemed to be getting more and more mean, God is calling us to choose a path of kindness which is a fruit of the Spirit. Kindness is mercy in motion. Kindness is who God is and we are striving towards becoming more like God.
The book mentioned in this episode:
Does God See Me?: How God Meets Us in the Center of Our Trauma-Healing Journey by Dieula Previlon
Scripture verses mentioned in this episode:
Galatians 5:22-23
Romans 2:4
2 Corinthians 6:6-7
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Transcript
Narrator: Welcome to Peaceable and Kind, the podcast where we explore the transformative power of living out Jesus’ call to peace and kindness in our everyday lives. Each week your host, Derek Vreeland, will delve into the stories, scriptures, and practical steps that help us embody these essential Christian virtues. Join us as we talk with inspiring guests, reflect on Scripture, and discover ways to bring peace and kindness into our homes, communities, and the world. Whether you’re seeking encouragement, guidance, or a deeper understanding of your faith, Peaceable and Kind is here to support and uplift you on your spiritual journey. Let’s embark together on this path of grace, compassion, and love, living out the true essence of our faith. Thank you for tuning in, and may the peace of God be with you always.
Derek Vreeland: Welcome back to another episode. Today we want to dive into the topic of kindness Being kind. This is the second of twin themes of this podcast, and we’ll get there in just a moment. But first, I want to say thank you for subscribing I appreciate the comments that I’m receiving. People are listening to the podcast. They’re finding it encouraging. That makes me happy. If you know someone who is looking for helpful, encouraging Christian content, talking about the Bible, promoting peace and kindness, then tell them about this podcast. That’s how we help this thing grow. Second, let’s talk about books. I am a reader. I read books constantly. If I’m not in the middle of a book, something feels really weird. So here on the podcast I’m going to talk about books that I’m reading, what I’m reading currently. Uh right now I’m reading a brand new book entitled Does God See Me by my friend Gerla Prevelon. This is her first book, in fact, and it’s a book about healing after trauma. I’m more than halfway through the book, but she is telling her own trauma story. Jurla is a Haitian immigrant and she immigrated as a child with her family to the U. S. And she tells Stories of trauma while in Haiti, the trauma of being a first-generation immigrant in the U. S. , heartbreaking stuff. But as she tells her story, she talks about the hope that she found in the church. She talks about the relationships that were built and how her church became her community. Unfortunately, she had some negative experiences in the church and there was trauma there. But she goes on to talk about healing, not just the Theology of healing, that God does indeed see us, that God wants us to become whole and be healed of our trauma. But she also gives practices How to receive healing, how to process healing through various forms of trauma. I’m absolutely loving the book. I was writing in the margin. Uh, one section of the book got me thinking, where she said that in her own trauma journey, she hit a bit of a wall where she did not want to pray. She did not feel that God was seeing her in that moment in her pain and was really walled off. And I started writing the margin because it caused me to reflect on my own spiritual journey. And for me, when I go through a difficulty, I’m drawn towards God. So my experience was different. And I was curious about that. So I started Writing in the margin. I I don’t journal. I don’t have a habit of journaling, but often when I’m reading books, I’ll write in the margin or I’ll go to the back of the book. some of the fly pages and I’ll write down my thoughts. I started writing and I completely circled uh all the way around the margin of two pages in her book with all of the things I was thinking. And so I texted Jirla. We’re friends. I texted her and said, I am loving your book. You got me thinking. In fact, I should probably bring Jirla on this podcast and have a conversation with her. I think that you would appreciate hearing her story, being an immigrant and now she is a pastor, an entrepreneur, she’s a therapist, she works with women. both in the US and Haiti and other countries outside the US, helping women in particular process healing through trauma. And uh so I should have her on. I think that would be a great conversation. But for today, I want to talk about kindness. On the last episode we talked a bit about a peaceable life, but what about a kind life. Is it me, or has the world become more and more angry Where meanness used to be looked at as a negative, it seems like meanness is being embraced Social media has the power to bring us together, but social media and digital forms of communication often have the ability to bring out the meanness in people. Have you ever experienced that? I posted on Facebook years ago a statement from an American Muslim imam. who was denouncing the terrorist attack that happened back in twenty sixteen in Nice, France. If you remember that terrorist attack, that’s where this jihadist took a big truck and drove it into a crowd. at believe there were like eighty six people that were killed in that crowd. It was it was awful. And after that happened, I came across an American Muslim imam, so he was the leader of a mosque. and he wrote what I found to be a beautiful statement denouncing violence in the name of Islam, and expressing condolences for those who had lost life. I thought it was well written. So I posted that on my social media accounts, particularly on my Facebook, and all I added to it was the caption. The words of Jesus, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. And man did people get angry with me. People were saying that I had no business as a Christian sharing content from a leader of another religion. People were accusing me of denying the divinity of Jesus, accusing me of blurring the lines between Christianity and Islam. People saying that the Muslim cleric that I quoted wasn’t a real Muslim because all Muslims are bent towards violence. Just awful stuff, mean stuff towards me and towards the Muslim community. And I wasn’t trying to be provocative on social media. I just wanted to share the comments from a peace-loving American Muslim. I do spend time on social media. I post Probably every day or every other day, but I understand that I could be provocative if I just wanted more likes and clicks and I I avoid that. I’m not trying to be provocative for provocative’s sake when I am on social media. I enter into that world really to try to promote peace. But I posted this comment from this imam because I thought it would promote peace. I thought people could see, particularly Christian people. That here is a Muslim, an American Muslim, who agrees with us in the Christian faith that violence in the name of God has to be denounced. And that care and compassion and empathy for people who have lost life, that’s that’s a core Christian value that this Muslim imam was sharing So I wanted to post that to promote peace, but what it did is it stirred up a lot of anger and meanness. People can get cruel on social media, but that is only the microphone for what is becoming an increasingly hostile and mean culture. To push back against that, I’m creating podcast episodes like this one that promote a peaceable and kind life So let’s talk a little bit about kindness. Let’s think a little bit about kindness. First, for Christians, we recognize that kindness is a high value Indeed, it’s a virtue, because kindness is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. So Galatians chapter 5, Paul is contrasting what are the works of the flesh with the fruit that is the produce of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit is doing within our hearts This is what the Holy Spirit is producing in our hearts. And what Paul lists in Galatians 5 are things like love. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control Right there in the middle. It’s number one, two, three, four. Number five is kindness. The Holy Spirit is not at work in us producing brashness or meanness or cruelty. It’s the spirit’s work to produce in us kindness And we believe this is something that the Holy Spirit is doing, but we have the choice to work with the Spirit in what the Spirit is doing, or to work against the Spirit. So if we give into the meanness of our culture, we’re really working against what the Holy Spirit is doing. Meanness is not a fruit of the Spirit. The quick comeback, that’s not a fruit of the spirit. The accusatory, judgmental, putting people in their place is not a fruit of the spirit Kindness is what the Holy Spirit wants to do. And so we want to cooperate with the Spirit, because the Spirit is ultimately trying to produce Christ-likeness within us We were created in the image of God to bear God’s image, and God is kind. And so the Spirit’s producing that in us so that the image of God could be restored within our lives, that we might truly look like Jesus. And I know that there are Christians that want to take a stand. You know, we have to take a stand for truth. We have to stand up for God. We have to stand up for Jesus. Well. . There is certainly a place in which Christians have a prophetic voice in our community . in our world. Certainly we do say certain things, and in that sense take a stand. But have you ever noticed that Jesus in the gospels never calls us to take a stand for him? Rather, we are called to bear witness to him. This is Acts chapter one, where Jesus says that power will come upon you And when you have received this power, this is the power of the Holy Spirit, you shall be my witnesses. So it’s not so much like we have to take a stand for truth and tell everyone what we believe about everything and And say, this is what is right, this is what is wrong, as much as we simply need to bear witness to Jesus And so if you are going to speak publicly on an issue that’s considered controversial, some type of social issue, perhaps a political issue, Then go ahead and and make your statement, but do so with kindness. Or better than that, do it with actions Jesus said that all people will know we are his disciples if we have love for one another. And love is an action. Love is a verb. Love is something that we demonstrate. So maybe instead of just making public declarations, Maybe we find a way to demonstrate the truth. Kindness, much like love, is an action Kindness is mercy in motion. That’s the way I think of kindness. I mean kindness is connected to love But kindness is love in action. Kindness is mercy in motion. And this is what God in Jesus did for us. In Jesus we see the kindness of God. Jesus coming towards us in his incarnation Jesus teaching us the way of love for God and love for neighbor. And then ultimately Jesus dying on the cross for us, going into death To defeat it, rising from the dead into new life. Jesus did all these things for us to demonstrate God’s love and kindness towards us And remember, it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance. It’s not so much Calling people out that leads people to repentance. Rather, it’s the kindness of God God is kind in God’s essence and being, and we are becoming more godlike when we grow in kindness. We are becoming more like Jesus. We’re becoming more Christ-like when we grow in kindness. So let’s look at just a few verses of scripture. Let’s look at 2 Corinthians chapter 6. 2 Corinthians is Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. You know, when we read Paul’s letters, it is a little bit like listening to one half of a telephone conversation. Right? Have you ever been in public and someone’s on their phone and you’re trying not to eavesdrop, but you’re really listening in And you’re trying to piece together what’s happening on the other end of that phone call. So you hear someone and you hear what they say because they’re standing near you, but can’t but you can’t hear what the other person is saying. Well, when we read Paul’s letters, it’s a little bit like that. Paul is responding to things that are happening in the church of Corinth. and he’s giving his apostolic admonition. He’s saying, okay, this is what you should do to work out these issues. And the church in Corinth had all sorts of problems. Corinth was a port city, and it was known as a bit of a destination city, so that we could say what happens in Corinth stays in Corinth. And the church there was comprised of, of course, some Jewish people, but also non-Jewish people, those who had come from an irreligious or a pagan background. were coming into the church. They were coming into this new life in Jesus. And they were trying to sort it out And so Paul in his first and second letter was giving encouragement, like, okay, now that you’re followers of Jesus, this is how we live. At one point, he’s talking about the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion. This has always been a centerpiece to Christian worship. And at one point, uh, in one of these letters to the church in Corinth, he’s he has to tell them, now listen, you can’t pig out at the Lord’s Supper and you can’t get drunk on communion wine Uh, in the ancient church, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was a full meal. And there were people coming to church to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And they’re gorging themselves when poor people who are coming to worship didn’t even have enough to eat. And then they’re getting drunk on communion wine. Can you imagine that today if a pastor had to send out an email to his congregation, Hey, by the way, when you come to church on Sunday, don’t pig out at the Lord’s Supper and try not to get drunk on communion wine I’m telling you this, these early churches, Paul’s churches all throughout the Mediterranean world were filled with problems, and this should give us hope as modern followers of Jesus. that our churches aren’t perfect either. We have our problems as well. The church from the beginning has always had problems and issues that has needed God’s intervention and help. So here in Second Corinthians chapter six, this is the bit of advice that the Apostle Paul is giving the Christians there. This is 2 Corinthians 6, verses 6 and 7. The Apostle Paul writes, We prove ourselves by our purity. our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. So the apostle here is explaining what the Holy Spirit is doing in and among the followers of Jesus in this church. And as we’ve already seen, what the Holy Spirit is doing within us is producing fruit, right? The Holy Spirit is producing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and all the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So, the peaceableness and the kindness that we want to see in our lives is not merely things that we have to do. In other words, we’re not called to change ourselves, rather, we’re called to yield to the Holy Spirit who is changing us. So Paul says, we prove ourselves by purity, understanding patience, and kindness by the Holy Spirit, the purity within us. The understanding that we have about who God is and what God is doing, living lives of patience and, of course, kindness All of this is first and foremost a work of the Holy Spirit. Now, there are Christians that read verses like this and say, well, I gotta I really gotta get to work. I gotta get to work and change my life so that I can be more pure, that I understand more. That I’m more patient, that I’m more kind. It’s all up to me. And I think if we have that attitude, it’s going to lead to frustration What I want to advocate for is that we stop crying to be kind and instead what we do is train to be kind. In other words, we’re not trying to be kind in human willpower alone. Because the Christian life is not a matter of willpower, it’s a willingness to yield to the power of the Spirit within us, who is producing things like patience and kindness. I think there’s a paradigm shift that needs to happen in our thinking between trying and training. So instead of trying to be kind, we want to train towards kindness. Let me use an example. Let’s say that I wanted to be able to bench press 300 pounds. Now, in high school, I could bench about 225. I think that was my max But high school was many, many years ago. So let’s say now as an adult with three kids with grandkids, if now I want to get to a place in my life that I can bench press 300 pounds. There are two roads I could take. I could try to bench press 300 pounds, or I could train for it. So let’s say I wanted to go the pathway of trying. Let’s say I go to one of these gym I purchase a one-month membership. I get in that gym and I find some muscle-bound guy to load up, you know, all those plates on either side of the bar. Give me 300 pounds. And what if I ask this muscle-bound guy to spot me? And so I lay down on the bench and he lifts up 300 pounds over my head. I grip the bar, I lower it to my chest. and I try to bench three hundred pounds. What do you think’s gonna happen? Well, my muscle bound friend, who is my spotter, is gonna have to rescue me Because in that moment, I can try with all of my power, and I’m never going to be able to bench press 300 pounds by simply trying So what if he racks that bar back up on the on the rack and instead of trying, what if he says, hey, let me introduce you to one of our trainers here at the gym? And what if I meet with a trainer and say, listen, I need a plan to get me to a 300-pound max on the bench press? And he develops a training regimen and says, all right, you you don’t look like much, so it’s going to take you six months of training. But if you follow this training procedure for six months, At the end of that, you’ll get to a 300 max. And so then I have to put my energy and effort not into trying, but into training I think kindness and a peaceable life is a matter of training. It’s not a matter of simply trying to be nice, trying to be kind But submitting to the Holy Spirit and seeing our entire life as this ongoing training and kindness This ongoing training in mercy in motion. Now it does require effort. It does require attention. But there is a different way of thinking when we think about training for kindness instead of trying to be kind. I think if we do that, if we take opportunities to practice kindness, we will see ourselves becoming kind people. That’s the only way that I know to move forward. And so I hope you’re with me. I hope you see that what we need in our world is a whole lot more kindness. And I hope today you commit To quit trying to be kind, but start trading. Alright, that’s it.
Guest: That’s all we have for today. Thank you for listening. Go in peace and be kind
This transcript was generated with AI and may contain errors.