GRACIOUS

 One of my writer-friends chooses a “word of the year” as a spiritual focus. I decided to do the same and last year chose “grace.” I signed much of my correspondence “in grace,” as a token of needing God's grace to get through challenging situations (the pandemic being just one of them!). As 2021 ended, a companion word kept coming to mind as my focus for 2022. It's gracious. This adjective is defined as “courteous, kind, and pleasant.” An internet definition site adds this Christian perspective: “showing divine grace.”

I regularly read through Proverbs (its 31 chapters provide a good daily “dose”) and find myself pausing at verses about graciousness. Proverbs 11:16 in the New King James Version says: “A gracious woman retains honor.” In the NIV, my usual devotional Bible, it's “A kindhearted woman gains respect.” Beside that verse I had written “Ruth B.,” an older neighbor who was supremely gracious and helpful to me in the year after my parents died and I was tasked with probate and emptying out the family home. She helped, she listened, she loved on me.

Because translators work so hard to find just the right equivalent word, I went to my Bible reference books to learn more. The highlight word (“gracious” in KJV and NASB, and “kindhearted” in NIV) is from the Hebrew chen or hen, whose root means “favor” or “grace.” A similar word is used in Exodus 34:6 of God when His “presence” in some blinding, supernatural way passed by curious Moses, hidden in the cleft of a rock.

Two Old Testament women especially personified this trait. One was Ruth, the Moabite widow who left her pagan homeland to follow and care for her widowed, embittered mother-in-law, returning to Naomi's hometown of Bethlehem. There, Ruth met Boaz, a good man who took her as a wife. From that union, generations later, came King David. But in their “love story,” Ruth's gracious choice found favor with people of her new land and—more important—with God. A big lesson there is that we need to bless God despite our circumstances, trusting Him to bring good of them.

Another example (1 Samuel 25) is Abigail, married to a surly land baron named Nabal. Before becoming king, David and his ragtag followers were a type of volunteer militia, helping local ranchers with a freelance police force. Their pay was whatever food the “protected” could provide. Selfish Nabal refused and David (to his discredit) decided to attack. Enter Nabal's gracious wife, who turned back the impending attack with food supplies and an apology for her husband's brutishness, plus a reminder of the bad consequences that could come of David's brashness. Her gracious actions defused a tense situation. And, in a story that seemed scripted for Hollywood, Nabal had an apparent heart attack or stroke when he learned what had happened. Ten days later he was dead. Abigail's graciousness gave her a second chance at a happier life. That story holds lessons for my own encounters with difficult people.

Our words really do reflect our hearts. Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NKJV) says, “The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious.” The apostle Paul admonished Christians to live out graciousness through words of kindness and truth (Colossians 3:12, 13).

And so...gracious. I have posted that word on my computer's screen as a daily reminder of one more way that God can work in and through me.

THE POWER OF KINDNESS

The display of decorated pillows and framed sayings near the front door at my local fabric store interrupted my “fast trip” in for a sewing project.  I had to stop and silently agree with the one that said, “Kind people are my kind of people.” In the past, I had tried to practice “kindness” to the clerks who had gotten to know me on my many trips in there. When one gave me extraordinary service, I asked for a customer comment card to express my appreciation about her to the powers-that-be. That wasn’t my first effort at taking the time to commend an employee at a store. But I know there’s power in expressing appreciation for kindness—and doing so is a kindness itself.

This past year I posted this verse on my computer monitor as a reminder to seek opportunities to live it out:

A kindhearted woman gains respect. –Proverbs 11:16

I could give you a long list of people in my life, some of them now deceased, who encouraged me and enriched my life through their simple acts of kindness. They came to my help when I was overwhelmed.  They encouraged me to persevere through difficult times. They commended me for a job well done or an honor earned. Sometimes they just put an arm around my shoulder and said, “I appreciate you.”

It’s no obscure secret that there’s power in kindness. So I wasn’t surprised when I read in the newspaper (Seattle Times, March 31, 2019, p. E12) this headline:  “Can acts of kindness improve your health?”  The answer was a huge “yes”!  The author went on:

Research shows that practicing loving kindness can profoundly affect your attitude, outlook and even your health.  Better yet, you can rewire your brain to be more present and kinder to others, giving your mood a daily boost.

FOCUS IDEAS
Their suggestions included:

This "kindness" saying hangs in my daughter's home.

*Times of quiet, contemplative focusing on warm, tender thoughts, possibly of a loved one.

*Doing intentional acts of kindness to relatives, friends and even strangers (even something as simple as holding open an elevator for someone). 

*Keep a gratitude journal, writing down things you’re thankful for.

These, of course, came from a secular source. But they reflect the Biblical truth that when we are appreciative of God's gifts and mercies to us, and are kind to one another, God brings about good stuff inside us.