Tenderhearted

It might seem to some that church folks would not need to hear a word like, "...be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you."  (Ephesians 4:32), but the folks who think such have never been to a church.   Unfortunately, not every disagreement within the church is handled in a way that models how Christians should live together and disagree.  There have been times when the church has burned at stake those with whom it disagreed.  There have been time when good religious folks cast other believers out of the fellowship.

 

Apparently, the church folks in Paul's day were like some who share pews and pulpits with us today.  While we should not need any reminders about how we should treat one another, we know we do.   One of the word the Apostle used is "tenderhearted ."  It is not a word we use in our normal conversation.  As we begin to explore what it means, we run into words like "gentle," "compassionate," and "caring."  They are words which speak of an overflow of the heart.  They are words which point toward the spirit of Christ. 

 

We might think we can manufacture tenderheartedness whenever it is needed.  But, it is not something we can put away some place in our spirit and pull out on demand for its expression is going to happen in a spontaneous manner instead of a planned one.  The minute we have to stop and think how we are going to respond to someone in need of the gentle compassionate touch, what we offer is diminished.  The tenderhearted ones act compassionately in response to human need.  It is not a considered action.  Paul had it right.  Those of us in the church need to be so controlled by the Spirit that our heart is so shaped after Christ that caring flows naturally from within us.