Living With Tenderness
Saturday March 11, 2017
Brennan Manning wrote a book called, “Living In The Wisdom of Accepted Tenderness.” What a wonderful concept for those of us in recovery who have experienced harshness in our past. What does living this kind of life look like and how can we experience it for ourselves? To live in the wisdom of accepted tenderness means to receive each moment of life from the gentle and loving hands of God.
Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation. (1 Peter 2:2-3 TLB)
God is good and expresses compassion and tenderness towards us. In the middle of troubled circumstances, God offers us peace of mind, acceptance, forgiveness, and the kindness we may lack from others. One moment at a time, one day at a time, we can trust God with our lives. God will teach us about forgiveness for those who have treated us harshly and asks us to leave them in His hands. God is a righteous judge and we are not. All the bitterness and resentment we have held towards others, we can release to God. As we do, we become more like Jesus who said to His tormentors, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NIV)
God is inviting us to seek Him first and then all the tenderness we are looking for from others will be included in what He has for us. God desires to fill our hearts with goodness and mercy so that we can be tender and compassionate towards others. Even though we may judge others as undeserving, we may be surprised at how our own tenderness and compassion grows when we treat people with the tenderness we have received from God. As we accept and keep on receiving love and tenderness and affirmation from God, our hearts will be filled to overflowing. What God has done for us, we can then do for others.
..the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please teach me today how to live with you and others with a humble and gentle heart. When troubling circumstances surround me, help me to look to You for help rather than react harshly. Amen
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