Slow, Steady, and Kind – James 3:13-18

A text – James 3:13-18

¹³ Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. ¹⁵ This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness^[a] is sown in peace by those who make peace.

A reflection:

Well, here is another lesson about wisdom. I think it is also about patience and slowness. If we are to show by our good life that what we do comes from gentleness and wisdom rather that from ambition, bitterness, and selfishness, I think that means always taking the time to find out the truth and not act on lies (or certainly not lie ourselves).

So how do we manage to do that in this day when lies are as prevalent as truth, and we may not even know whom to believe? I have relatives and friends who believe what I think are lies, debunked by people I trust. I don’t know how to convince these good folks that they’ve been lied to. Because part of the lie they’ve swallowed is to distrust anyone who says “No, that’s a lie.” By reaching out to them to persuade them not to trust the lie, I become the enemy, and they believe I am the liar. This destruction of trust has proved to be a great strategy for sowing chaos, and the human beings who have used this strategy have much to answer for.

One way to practice patience and slowness as a route to wisdom is to do that in front of one of our disbelieving friends or relatives. Think and speak deliberately and lovingly. Take loving care of our children and our parents. Be slow and steady amid the flurry of anxiety that the chaos gins up.  Slow, steady, and kind behavior in front of others teaches wisdom and generosity. Slow, steady, and kind behavior to the vulnerable around us bears fruit.

For more than 25 years I taught a spiritual discernment practice to congregation members who had to deal with conflict. We sat in the Word of God and in silence together. We listened well to the Word and to one another, certain that God would speak to us through that listening. It took time and energy to slow down and be deliberate together. And we never knew what the answer would be. That was exactly the point. God teaches us when we listen to the neighbor and when together we and the neighbor bear fruit. The answer is sometimes surprising. That is the way with God. We needn’t be afraid to be slow, steady, and kind. By so doing, we will also be wise.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being our wisdom provider. Help us to be slow, steady, and kind to one another, so that your Word can be heard and your will can prevail among us, even in these times of frantic chaos. We know you will give us the strength to be quiet. Amen.