Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous, and not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Compassion, love, tenderhearted and courteous are traits we all wish others would have don’t we? Guess what? Others wish we had those same traits. It’s so easy to want revenge for those that have hurt us. We feel payback is not only deserved but fair. But in doing so this verse reminds us we lose our own blessing. To receive a blessing we are called to bless. I know what you’re thinking–“you can’t expect me to bless them after what they’ve done.” I’ve thought the exact same thing. We all have. I don’t expect you to do so, but God does. He expects that of me. He expects that of all of us. It boils down to one question–do we want to be blessed? The irony of it is that sometimes it’s easier to be compassionate, courteous, loving, tenderhearted and forgiving to friends and strangers than our own families. We pull the “they have to love us” card because we’re family. Revenge is easy forgiveness not so much. An act of kindness goes a long way. A smile can change a moment. An encouraging word can melt hopelessness. A hand out can lift a head up. A blessing can bring a blessing. Praying this day we are a blessing rather than a curse.
