Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is . . . kindness"

The kindest kick in the pants I ever got was when I was 18. I was between the first and second years of my Bible degree, and the way I saw it, there were some major problems in our PEI Baptist association.

For those of you aren’t Baptist, our churches are organized by regions into groups called associations. The purpose of association is to band together for larger ministries and for fellowship. In this way, association is not part of a chain of command - it is a partnership of churches.

In any case, as I look back on it almost 20 years later, I knew just enough to be dangerous. OK, maybe I didn’t even know that much, but I was still dangerous. I wrote a long letter to the moderator about a particular issue that affected one of our churches and challenged him and the association to do something about it. I suggested that our association should "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1), since it seemed evident that worldy influences had so affected us. Satisfied that I had spelled out the case with enough righteous indignation, I mailed the letter and waited for a response.

I waited and waited. The longer I waited, the more upset I became. Convinced I was being ignored, I simmered and stewed.

Finally a reply arrived in the mail. The tone of the letter was not what I had expected. I was waiting for a fight, but he started with an apology that it had taken so long to respond. His wife was ill and they had spent weeks out of province seeking treatment. My heart sank into my stomach. I knew better than to be angry with someone who had been through so much.

He continued with some general comments about the nature of association, and then very kindly added that I had used the passage out of context to say something it did not say. The presence of "false prophets" in the passage indicates that sometimes there are those within the church who can lead us astray, and that’s why each one of us should examine the scriptures thoroughly for ourselves. We can’t take someone else’s word for it, we need to look for ourselves.

It was the kindest kick in the pants I ever received. He rightly perceived that I needed to think for myself and not be pushed by people and forces who, while well-intentioned, would not allow any view other than their own. I knew I was in the wrong, and I knew I had just been corrected, but it was the kindest correction.

I’ve thought a lot about his reply over the years. I credit that letter as the point when I began to think for myself.

What changed my heart toward him? When I retrieved the letter, I was angry. How could my heart be softened in just a few moments? It was the kindness of his tone. He knew he had the moral high ground, but he didn’t bludgeon me. Grace was written into each letter of the answer.

As I was thinking about this week’s letter, I e-mailed one of his daughters. We went to camp and college together, and she is on the On Fire list. He has since gone on to glory and so I have not been able to thank him, but I know God has already rewarded him. She wrote, " I remember him working on his reply.... he felt quite a 'burden' if you will to 'answer this young man'... and prayed about it/ sought wisdom."

His act of kindness changed the direction of my life. Take note - it was no simple act. This man had carefully cultivated a spirit of kindness over the years so that when he responded to me, it was life-changing.

We never know how our act of kindness might change the direction and focus of someone’s life. Whether its toward someone who treated us less than kindly, or whether its to someone in need, kindness changes hearts.

Hope this helps. Be On Fire,

Troy

ON FIRE is a weekly letter of encouragement by Troy Dennis. This letter published June 5, 2005. www.onfireletter.com