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There are certain directives in the Bible which appear to be missions impossible. We will review five of those passages that ask of us more than we can humanly do. It’s true, they are humanly impossible. But the good news is that God, who gives us the command, also provides the power to perform.
Our first mission impossible is found in 2 Timothy 2:24: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone….” Be kind to everyone. Mission impossible!
Everyone includes the coworker who is not kind to me; it includes the clerk in the store who is slow and lazy and wastes my time; it includes the person on the telephone who is rude and harsh. Everyone includes my son or daughter who is inconsiderate to me, my mate who is moody. Everyone gives me no loopholes.
I have to tell you the story of a good friend, who is in a small group book study at my church which I lead. For over a year she has been sharing the difficulty she has with one of her neighbors. Over and over she has told us of her offenses, and how she wishes she would move. We have confronted and encouraged her time and again to see that this woman is in her life for a reason, and Jesus wants her to reach out to her in love. But it truly seemed like a mission impossible for her. She couldn’t imagine ever being friends with her.
Recently she asked to say something to our group. And she told us that she began by simply being polite to her one day, and the next day this woman was polite to her, and from that they have been talking and she said, “Now she is my friend and I’m inviting her to our women’s luncheon at the church.” What was mission impossible for her—to be kind to this woman who didn’t deserve her kindness—has become a real miracle in her life as her attitude has been transformed. Who knows where this new friendship will lead.
Lack of kindness is usually a result of being self-focused rather than others-focused. When we forget ourselves and think about the other person, being kind isn’t nearly so impossible. Maybe you have someone in your life that you simply find it impossible to like. How about it? Ready to tackle this mission impossible and ask God to teach you how to be kind to that person? It’s very possible with Jesus.