Tenderhearted – Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
As God’s transforming grace envelopes me, He, the Master Potter, is reshaping my attitudes toward other people and remaking me into an increasingly useful vessel for His kingdom.[1] I started with a dark and twisted heart where people had little control over my feelings because I simply did not care enough to allow them to hurt me. After I became a Christian, the Lord replaced my cold, stony heart with a beating, burning heart of flesh.[2] He put His love within me, but since I lacked maturity in Christ, I placed myself into bondage to those for whom I cared. When some “good” friends abruptly severed our relationship, I ceded my peace to them, carrying the deep soul-piercing pain of their rejection for many months. Though Christ had set me free, I once again took on the yoke of bondage.[3]
As I matured in Christ, I moved into a Shrug-It-Off Phase. Laying my burdens at the Lord’s feet and trusting that He would not allow me to be crushed,[4] I would reason, “I know You are in unchallengeable control of every event that touches my life, so please, Lord, quiet my heart and help me to release this matter to You. Give me the spiritual eyes to glimpse eternity and understand that all things are pale in the reflection of Your glory.” With this approach, I typically maintained a peaceful, steadfast spirit, free from the tumultuous swings of emotion that often accompany human relationships, but I was back to a form of indifference toward those who hurt me.
The Lord, desiring us to have His best, wants to lead us into a finer place, one of compassion and love, so even when rejected, we would value those who would hurt us above ourselves. This place is worth striving after. Are you there? Are you answering the Lord’s exhortation to be kind toward others, forgiving them as your Father in heaven has forgiven you, looking out for their interest as well as your own?[5]
Desire that you may dwell in such
a place. Follow Christ’s example by
rising above self-centeredness to become a person who profoundly loves
others. Through the grace that flows
into you as the Potter’s magnificent creation, become a vessel worthy to carry
tenderness and mercy to those around you.
Aspire to this holy mission, and you will have the lasting peace and
abiding joy that comes from loving others with a love that does not take into
account a wrong suffered, a love that bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things.
This love will never fail.[6]
[1] Jeremiah 18:4
[2] Ezekiel 36:26
[3] Galatians 5:1
[4] Psalm 37:24
[5] Philippians 2:4
[6] 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
