Be Kind

By Cathy Ramsey

 

 

Kindness – The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate

God has put it on my heart lately that I need to focus on being kind. I am going to work on making it a strong commitment to myself to practice being kind and to show love to everyone, no matter if they are kind to me or hurting me. I want to remember to be kind every second of every day. I feel like when I am not being kind, I am disappointing Jesus and I want to stop disappointing Jesus. (As much as humanly possible.)

Kindness includes smiling at strangers, holding doors open for people, being patient with people that are frustrating us or being unkind to us, letting people in line in front of us, letting people merge in front of us on a busy highway, not tailgating. There are so many ways to show kindness.

2 Corinthians 6:6 – By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned...

Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...

Colossians 3:12 – Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

From Olivia Forten at Geneva.edu

Kindness is selfless, compassionate, and merciful; its greatest power revealed in practice to our enemies and amongst the least of these. Love your neighbor; show kindness to EVERYONE. For a perfect emblem of Biblical kindness, we need look no further than Jesus.

Olivia Forten also says kindness is a lifestyle. It is a daily practice. It is a choice. As Christians we are to grow in the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and kindness – and growth takes time. A seed does not transform into a tree overnight, but with careful watering, tending, and patience, a seed will slowly grow day-by-day into a strong towering tree. It is the same with kindness. We must be faithful every day to bear the good fruit of kindness. Being kind should be our default mode, a habit of goodwill, a heart of continual service every day of the year.

If kindness needs faithful practice every day, kindness also requires intentionality. Now, I’m not saying that we should never do random acts of kindness. Oftentimes, kind acts are on-the-spot, in the moment, and unplanned. However, we must be intentional. Either plan specific acts of kindness, or plan for the random; be ready to do good on-the-spot. Kindness is not when we feel like it or a random act here or there when we happen to think of it. Kindness requires a seeking out, a looking for the needs of others.

During his life on earth, Jesus was a perfect emblem of this fruit of the spirit. For three years of ministry, he looked toward the needs of others, never turning them away. He could be counted on. How often today do we miss opportunities to show God’s love to others because we are too busy? We rush here and there, leaving the needs of others in a blur as we whiz past. Slow down and open your eyes. Jesus took the time, and you should too. So, slow down, make the time, and look for the needs of others. Be intentional in showing kindness; be consistent.

Rather than revenge, He calls us to bless our enemies, knowing that through kindness, we can soften hearts.

As we intentionally show kindness each day, may we shine the light of Christ to a dying world in need of a savior, a generation in need of love and grace. Be Jesus to someone today and every day; make Him your role model and kindness your lifestyle.

Heavenly Father, teach me to be kind all the time and help me learn to be compassionate all the time. Lord God, help me remember to always be loving and kind. Please help me to show your love and kindness to all those in my path so that they see your light through me.

Always Be Humble and Kind:  https://youtu.be/awzNHuGqoMc