counterculture
How can you cultivate more humility, gentleness, patience, and love in your daily life?
Ephesians 4:2
Be humble and gentle in every way. Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other.
Humble? Gentle? Patient? ...Accepting?
These qualities seem increasingly unfamiliar in our fast-paced American lifestyle. All it takes is twenty minutes in traffic to see the exact opposite. Our culture is so quick to display the alternatives–pride, anger, impatience, intolerance, and even violence. And the pervasiveness of these negative qualities seems to be getting worse.
Unfortunately, our society praises assertiveness and competition, We’re trained to crave immediate gratification and taught intolerance. These things are ingrained in our workplaces and communities. And they are even present in church environments.
Humility, gentleness, patience, and love are qualities that can be cultivated. To do so we must slow down, be more present in the moment, and think before we act. It takes daily work and constant reminders to be present in our thoughts and emotions.
It can be difficult to go against cultural norms, but it’s not impossible. Lovingly accepting one another as we are always seems a great place to start.
What specific strategies can you implement to slow down and be more present in the moment? How can you cultivate more humility, gentleness, patience, and love in your daily life?