Kīnāʻole

One ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi word says it all: Kīnāʻole! Kīnāʻole means I will do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, and with the right feeling, the first time I do it! As I shared in the Pono devotional, “Just do the next right thing!” Every challenge, every obstacle, every opportunity, and every decision in life, no matter how large or how complex, really can be boiled down to this idea. Just do the next, right thing. Therefore, you don’t always have to have the next 1,000 steps or the next five years all planned out in advance. Consequently, just do the next, right thing.

Today’s Scripture

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” ~ Galatians 6:9

Doing Good

Now, it is important to note that the right thing is not always the easiest thing or the quickest thing. Doing the right thing often doesn’t seem to be in our own best interest in the short term. However, what we find is that by doing the right thing, is always in our long-term best interest.

“My Word Is My Bond!”

One of the most powerful role models in my life was my grandfather, Gale C. Piper! So, of the many things I can remember him teaching me, one of the most important lessons was when he said this to me: “Greg, my word is my bond.” Have you ever heard someone use that phrase before? It’s kind of from an older generation that didn’t really believe in signed contracts. They preferred a “gentlemen’s handshake agreement.” They kept their promise, not because a legal document forced them to but because they had given their word. Their word was their bond. You don’t hear that phrase much anymore. But for my grandfather, His word was his bond. In other words, if he said he was going to do something, you better believe it and He would do whatever it took to keep his word.

So, my Pappy committed his life to kīnāʻole. Gale Piper always insisted on doing the next right thing, and he didn’t give his word lightly. Pappy didn’t make empty promises and even when the thing he promised to do turned out to be harder than he thought he still did it. Even when it turned out to be not in his best interest or cost him extra time, energy or money. If he had given his word to someone that he would do it. He just did it, period. His word was his bond.

Kīnāʻole

Is that how people know you? Do people know you as a woman or man of integrity? Are you the kind of person for whom “your word is your bond?” What does it take to be known as a person with a good reputation? Kīnāʻole! Maybe you have a tough decision to make? Kīnāʻole! Perhaps you are not sure how to respond to a request? Kīnāʻole!

Aloha! (I share my life’s breath with you!)

~~ Pastor G ~~

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