40 Faces, 40 Places: A Devotional JourneySample

Ayoola from Nottingham

Sometimes whole-life discipleship looks like empathizing with others’ stress.

I currently work as a psychology seminar teacher at a university. I sense God in my preparations for the seminars and when I’m marking essays – as I mark, I have the opportunity to pray over each person. And in particular, I find God leading me to be kind to my students.

I believe He has given me a compassionate heart to empathize with them and be generous in my actions toward them – understanding the pressure they feel and supporting them to achieve a high standard of work. As a trained therapist, I was also inspired to teach relaxation techniques to help students whilst they’re preparing for their exams. I saw God move as the students reported back that it was really useful to learn the techniques, and I could see they also became more at ease during the seminar.

I attended a Christian conference for people in the first decade of working life, and it was a very encouraging reminder that God has a vision for our work – particularly as there is often a tension between psychology and Christianity. I feel that God’s ideal for us as human beings made in His image can be different from some of the theories taught in psychology. I often have to remind myself of God’s truth over us when I’m caught up in my work.

Reflection

Kindness is probably not the most headline-grabbing fruit of the Spirit. But it’s powerful and always needed, wherever we find ourselves. Whenever we show kindness on our frontlines, we’re modeling a divine characteristic.

Ayoola’s kindness shapes her work at the university in multiple ways. She empathizes and understands what her students are going through. She has compassion for them and seeks to offer practical support during the pressured times. And as each student’s name appears in her marking, she prays for the people behind the paper.

What about us? As people’s names come to our minds, our desks, or our inboxes – can we offer up a prayer for them? What might happen if we did this more often?

Prayer

Lord, I recognize Ayoola’s point about You ‘leading her to be kind’ as a challenge to me today. Please lead me to kindness. Lord, who are You prompting me to pray for today? May my words and actions today tell of Your compassion and kindness.