I think it’s safe now to finally tell my story.  If Sister Aimee Julie is still alive, she would be about 121 years old.  She was my eighth-grade teacher.   If you are reading this post and looking at the picture, I’m not the one in the black habit.  I am the spindly guy next to her. 

From the front of the classroom, sister launched us into a song and then exited the door in the back of the room.  Mario and I sat next to each other at the front of two rows. 

Mario was very Italian.  I’m pretty sure he sprinkled garlic salt on his Captain Crunch, but we were buds because I could make him laugh.

Once sister was gone, I began singing in falsetto – like a girl. Mario cracked up and did the same thing.  Pretty soon the entire class was giggling.  I felt pretty good about myself. 

However, Sister slipped in the back door and saw what was going on, but Mario and I didn’t know it because we had our backs to her.  She marched up the aisle, took Mario’s head in one hand and mine in the other and bashed them together.  We were on the floor – the desks were spilled, books were everywhere and we were seeing stars. 

We picked ourselves up and sat quietly for the rest of the school year.  She had certainly altered my behavior, but not my heart.  I was seething inside.  Still am! I was wrong for sure, but her harshness compelled me to try to justify my behavior.

Though she was a religious person, she was so unlike God. Romans 2:4 says, “Do (you) not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?”

When God corrects us, His goal is more than changed behavior, He is after a changed heart.  Harshness hardens a heart and alienates the guilty one, whereas kindness softens a hard-heart and draws us near. 

It was the apostle Paul who recorded Romans 2:4, and no one knew the kindness of God better than he.

He was a persecutor of the early church, known then as Saul.  He delivered Christians to prison and rejoiced when they were executed (Acts 26:10). Saul had legitimately earned a good head-bashing – but the Lord chose to confront his meanness with kindness.

God sovereignly arranged for Saul to be present when Stephen eloquently delivered the good news of Jesus for which Stephen was stoned.  A powerful Gospel seed was planted, and God, like a patient farmer, kindly allowed time for it to germinate in Saul. 

On the road to Damascus the Lord personally spoke to him saying.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” – Acts 9:24. The Lord didn’t gossip about Saul to Michael the Archangel.  He spoke directly to Saul with his carefully worded concern. 

Nor did He attack him in anger but framed His words in terms of the impact of Saul’s actions.  He let him know that he was personally wounded by Saul’s choices.

He used a question not an accusation to start the conversation.  How wise!   Also, the tone of his words suggested that He spoke with sincerity rather than severity.

The Lord didn’t publicly embarrass Saul.  Those with him heard His divine voice but didn’t understand what was said.  His uncomfortable words were for Saul’s ears alone (Acts 22:9).

And instead of an unrelenting berating of Saul for his sins, the Lord gave him a grand positive vision of what he could and would be should he repent. (Acts 26:17-18)

Had Sister Aimee Julie sat us down and had a conversation like that, I would have responded appropriately and repented thoroughly, and I could have avoided my recurring headaches (just kidding about the headaches).  

She did not get the memo, but we have.  When the people in our lives hurt us, disappoint us, disparage us, betray us or even sing in falsetto, confront them with kindness. 

A PRAYER: Lord it is so easy to be cruel, help us to be kind.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com  

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®