Reminders for Your Spiritual Journey

I have written about compassion, which has a lot in common with kindness.  In fact, we sometimes use the two terms interchangeably.  The difference, for me, is that kindness is an attitude while compassion is an action.  Kindness is the good intention; compassion is the follow-through.  Compassion does not exist without a kind attitude.  Kindness is the desire to be a nice person.  We were all taught, to be nice, to share, to try to think about how another person might feel.  Our parents wanted us to be aware of what another person might be missing.  Remember all those poor little Chinese children who were “starving”, so that we ought to “quit complaining and eat your vegetables?”  It is that kind of awareness of the other, that we grew up wanting to help. 

We need to re-sensitize ourselves, and those around us, to one another.  We need to awaken some of our deadened senses, to shine a small light in what can be dark times.  We need to lift each other’s spirits to make us more caring.  When we see the “other” as someone different, scary or less-valuable than ourselves, our instinct is to ignore them, or worse yet, put them out of our sight and mind.  We need to see (really see) everyone as our equal, in the sight of God, and respond to them with love and understanding.  Kindness comes from a place of love.  Compassion is the outward expression of loving kindness.

“If we are asking for the world to be kind, we must first ask, what are we doing to add more kindness to the world.  If we are asking for the world to be more loving, we must first ask, what are we doing to add more love to the world.  We are the vessels for the things we seek.” Joél Leon

“I have seen human beings do and become terrible things as they destroy the world.  I have also learned that only those things made of kindness, justice, and hope can save the world.”  Danté Stewart

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not.” Dr. Seuss

“With all of the bad things that are happening in the world right now, I think we need a message of togetherness and true unity.  I believe that starts with personal reflection and then we can find kindness toward each other.”  Marielle Heller

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

 “In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7

People talk about inspiration as though it comes to us, like a flash of lightning, out of nowhere.  And, in some cases, it seems to, but the word literally means that ideas come from “the spirit within us.”  A dictionary definition is “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. “ 

An experienced poet will draw upon their knowledge of poetic language and use metaphors and/or imagery to write something that presents a phenomenon in new, clever, or more beautiful ways, than normal prose, to create a poem.  A composer relies on his or her ability to imagine how sounds can come together in new ways to create a piece of music.  As a poet, I can tell you that, with enough experience, the writing sometimes takes on a life of its own and seems to suggest a next line.  It feels like it is being directed by spirits rather than my own intellect.  In like manner, Bible writers felt the inspiration (the entering of the holy spirit into them) to direct their writing.  That is why we say that the bible was inspired by God through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.  Whether that is literally true, is a matter of faith. 

Whether some passages might have been corrupted by the prevailing customs of the times and what might have been lost in translation, is up for debate.   I know from taking a class from a man who helped translate the Dead Sea Scrolls, that the art of translation is tricky, and we have to take the word of the translators as to whether it is even possible to have an exact translation, since some words do not have a direct correlation from one language to another.  Ordinary people had to decide how best to represent a certain concept.  Like the poet or composer, Bible writers were experienced in their craft and their interpretations may have felt divinely inspired, and for all I know, it was.

According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 the words of Scripture are "God breathed" or inspired.  This implies that God is the source, or origin, of what is recorded in Scripture.  God, through the Holy Spirit, used human authors to write what He revealed.  Whether they always got it down perfectly or whether a certain translation is more perfect than another will be debated everywhere and for all time.  Whether we are capable of understanding the exact meaning will also be debatable.  The important thing is that the Bible is our best guide for moral behavior and we can only rely on those who have studied it to help us get what we need from it.

Being humble is considered a worthy position to take about one’s self, yet it does not require that we let others put us down or bully us into submission.  The only being we are to submit ourselves to, is God.  Other than God himself, we are to consider ourselves as equal to others, not superior, just equal in the site of God.  Knowing that we can never be equal to God, makes it easy to bow to Him and claim our status as servants to others less fortunate, though no less worthy of the love of God, and by extension, our love.

If we are humble, we do not think of ourselves as better than others, even though we might be better off.  We know our own weaknesses and do not boast about our strengths.  We acknowledge that we can always improve and grow, and we graciously shake the hands of our opponents and compliment them when they win.  We admit when we don't know something and when we are wrong or make mistakes.  We never display pride in our accomplishments.  We can humbly accept praise and rewards, but we should not revel in them or tease or shame others for not achieving the same.  Being humble, requires that we keep our ego in check and our manners on display.  Politely recognizing others’ accomplishments is far more important than taking credit for our own.  If you win a badge of honor for being the “most humble person” in a group.  Don’t wear the badge in public or you might have to give it back.

Jesus demonstrated humility when he washed his disciples’ feet.  When someone suggested that it was wrong for him to do what servants or slaves were supposed to do, Jesus pointed out that everyone should consider themselves servants to others.  He showed us that everyone, even the Son of God, is not above doing good for someone else, that in fact, we should gladly humble ourselves and do whatever we can for our fellow human beings.

Former President Obama demonstrated humility when he served soup at a homeless shelter. Later, he also spoke about the importance of humility when he humbly accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, saying in his speech, that compared to many others who had been award the Prize, he considered himself much less worthy of the honor.  If the Son of God and a President can humble themselves, so can we.

“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole world.”  Matthew 5:5

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10