The Kindness of God

Carolyn Klejment-Lavin

LPC/A

2/3/2025

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 The second Friday of January has been called “quitters’ day,” which is the day many people will abandon their New Year’s resolutions. There is certainly nothing wrong with using the change of a calendar to make some changes and set some new goals. However, what abandoned resolutions often look like is wanting to have change in one’s life, making big goals for change, and then shortly abandoning goals with an internal monologue of failure.

The end of the year and holiday season often add stress to lives saturated with plenty of stressors. When we are in an ongoing state of heightened tension, our bodies adjust to a higher stress level as the set point. Chronic or repeated stress creates significant wear and tear on our bodies. We are borrowing from our already depleted energy stores to function. When we find ourselves in this state, we tend to respond in a few different ways: we may try to push ourselves even further (increasing the energy debt), we may shut down and isolate ourselves, or commonly, we judge ourselves for not being able to think clearer, do more, or to be able to “handle it simply.”

 It’s interesting to me how we, the people of God, who have experienced such grace and believe in the abundant love of God, often resort to harsh self-talk to “help” ourselves. We believe that if we do not have love, we gain nothing (1 Cor 13: 3), and the truth is that judgment and self-contempt are not what will restore our tired bodies and souls. We read in Romans 2:4 that the kindness of God leads to repentance. In Greek, the word for repentance is “metanoia,” which means a “transformative change of mind.” Not pushing ourselves harder or critiquing ourselves when we fall short will change our lives and our thinking. What will heal us is the love of God's abundant, overflowing kindness and compassion.

 It can be challenging to offer this kindness to ourselves. It often requires taking smaller steps than we might want. When going slower or the things we can do don’t feel enough, we are prone to sabotage ourselves, to say, “Why bother- it won’t be enough to change anything.” However, when we do this, we rejoin powerlessness and sabotage our steps towards renewal, healing, and repentance.

 Let’s practice the kindness of God to ourselves as we move forward in this new season. We can take small steps forward, but in every move, may we proceed with great love, compassion, and kindness.