On Being Tenderhearted

My Journal - Agatha Nolen

In Ephesians Chapters 4-5, Paul provides us with practical advice on how to best live in our neighborhood. In addition to “putting away falsehood”, Paul tells us to be “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” These words echo hollowly in my head when I scroll through my Facebook feed, or glance at the evening news. Most posts appear to be anything but kind.

Paul talks about speaking truth to each other not only because it is the right thing to do but also because as a community we are linked inseparately to each other. A lawyer wants to know how he can inherit eternal life and Jesus responds “love your neighbor as yourself”. Of course, the lawyer wants more definition and asks Jesus (Luke 10:29), “Who is my neighbor?” but the lawyer’s unspoken question is “Who Am I?”

Later in Ephesians, Paul tells us to put away bitterness, wrath and anger as well as slander and malice or we will be making room for the devil. We can apply this wisdom to others but also to ourselves. Are we bitter when things don’t work out the way we want, or do we experience anger when others appear to be more successful than we are? (Jesus doesn’t say to never get angry, but he asks us to deal with it, so it doesn’t lead to sin).

If God is personified in our neighbors and ourselves, when we get angry, we are really getting angry at God. Is that how we really feel about God?

Paul reminds us that first God has forgiven us. We do not have to learn to forgive on our own; we have a teacher. Paul says in 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love..”

If we truly believe and live in God’s love, it is natural for us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…”.

God has forgiven us and we need to imitate God by living in love.

Blessings, my friend,
Agatha