11Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.And, in verse 14, we see these words:14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Impatience with other people runs in stark contrast to the ways of the God who is patient with us. When we allow the actions of others to annoy us, to irritate or agitate us or to make us angry, we have departed from the course on which the Lord would have us to walk. And, we can diffuse the frustration within by responding with a gracious and compassionate heart - seeking to encourage others, even when they are not encouraging to us. A kind word spoken into a tense situation can integrate a sense of God's peace and presence.
Paul opens up the 2nd chapter of Philippians by highlighting the power of encouragement:
1Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,2fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Ashley England went to dinner at the Stag-N-Doe pizza restaurant in China Grove, North Carolina with her family recently, including her 8-year-old son, Riley, who began to get "a little rowdy".
She told WBTV that, "He threw the phone and started screaming." She went on to say, "The past few weeks have been very hard and trying for us - especially with public outings. Riley was getting loud and hitting the table and I know it was aggravating to some people."
Riley, you see, has special needs - he is non-verbal and has been through three major brain surgeries for a severe form of epilepsy. The seizures started when he was 18-months-old, robbing him of his speech. His mom says he had more than 100 seizures a day.
That night at the restaurant as Ashley and Riley were preparing to leave, a waitress appeared. She said, "I'll try to do this without crying...But another customer has paid for your bill tonight and wanted me to give you this note."
The note read: "God only gives special children to special people."
Ashley told the TV station, "To have someone do that small act towards us shows that some people absolutely understand what we are going through and how hard it is to face the public sometimes. They made me cry, blessed me more than they know - I felt like out of all the rude negative comments that we are faced with - these outweighs them. The people who care!"
Wow, what an impact that a random act of kindness can make! I think it's so easy to get annoyed at children who are not behaving in the way that we think they should when you're in a restaurant or other public place. And, maybe we think to ourselves that our kids would never act that way in public or that the mom and/or dad should do a better job controlling their behavior. And, of course, when our kids act unruly, we get the dose of humility we deserve.
You know, there will be the people or the circumstances that annoy us, that irritate us, and that will cause us to become frustrated, maybe even angry sometimes. And, we recognize that we can allow those abrasions to be magnified in our minds and expressed through our outward expression, sometimes to the extent that we do not act in a Christlike manner. God has provided the antidote to anger through the perfect peace that comes from a relationship with Jesus, but we have to release that peace in our lives and rely on Him when we are feeling that frustration.
If this restaurant patron who wrote the note was feeling angry or frustrated at this precious child who was making a scene at dinner, he or she took a step to respond in a way that provides an example for us. When we seek to encourage others, we take our eyes off ourselves and what makes us uncomfortable and seek to provide a blessing to another person. And, a few simple words or a random act of kindness can encourage someone else in a profound way. I think it pleases the Lord when we look for ways and listen for His promptings to build up someone else, especially when it is clear they are not having a good day! As we show Christ's compassion to others, even in simple ways, it can provide an opportunity to spread His presence and provide an opportunity for others to be reminded that God loves them.
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