8 Powerful Qualities to Help You Lead with Wisdom and Love

Blog by Gem Fadling

I have never been more convinced that now is the time for goodness. If you track with us here at Unhurried Living, I already know you to be a good person.

I’m suggesting we double down on our intentionality in being and doing good. Not in a legalistic, machinelike way, but in a heart forward, leaning in, Kingdom ways posture.

It can be overwhelming to see all that is occurring planet-wide. Yes, we can pray. But remember, our bodies, hearts, and minds were built for smaller communities.

So that means you have permission to bring yourself in smaller to where you actually live. Your prayerful heart can offer worldwide prayers to the God of the universe AND you can engage thoughtfully and intentionally right where you are.

Engage in your own stress reduction by focusing closer to home when it comes to news and involvement. It’s okay to let some things go so that you can focus your energy on offering goodness to those around you.

I’ve been struck by the words of 2 Peter 1:5-9 from The Message:

 “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.”

This is such a beautiful and practical list of goodness: 

• Basic faith
• Good character
• Spiritual understanding
• Alert discipline
• Passionate patience
• Reverent wonder
• Warm friendliness
• Generous love

And Peter is saying that each of these builds on the other and results in becoming more “mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.”

And isn’t that what the people around you and the world really needs? Mature adults experiencing and expressing the love and ways of Jesus.

I know you to be a serious-minded, heart-forward lover of Jesus.

And here at Unhurried Living we want nothing more than to encourage you to live what you believe—and not be overwhelmed and stressed while doing so.

We are invited into goodness—to receive it, live it, and share it.

For Reflection: 

• What might leaning into goodness look like in your own life?
• How might you give attention to the invitations within 2 Peter? Allow yourself to be creative and practical as you ponder.
• Spend a little time releasing your cares to God. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.