Word of the Week - Kindness
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” - Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is defined as the quality or state of being friendly, gentle, caring, and considerate. I personally value these attributes of Kindness and desire to live these out in my day-to-day life but often fall short. In my own self-evaluation, I find that other priorities and personality characteristics such as desiring to be straight forward and efficient often undermine my Kindness. It is much more difficult to be Kind when you are moving fast. Kindness is slowing down enough to notice and care about the needs of those around us.
God’s Kindness is truly amazing and a wonderful model for us to understand the true definition and essence of Kindness. Divine Kindness - God’s kindness is demonstrated throughout His Word and the life of Christ. It manifest in what is referred to as “common grace” in that God is inherently Kind to all (psalm 145:9), even when we His sons and daughters are ungrateful and disobedient He still shows us Kindness. “Yet while we were sinners Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. “For it is the Kindness of the Lord that leads us to repentance” Romans 2:4 Even while Jesus was on the cross He was showing Kindness by forgiving the very soldiers that were crucifying Him when He said “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34. Then he turned to the criminal next to Him and invited Him to be forgiven and told him “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”. Matt 27:44
Kindness aims to do good in a way that is gentle and mild, in a way that is sensitive to the needs of others. It is never harsh. I am learning that Kindness goes beyond our intent; it is working to understand the other persons perspective, so they can receive the intended blessing in a manner that builds goodwill. In other words it is as much about our delivery as it is our intention. I find this very challenging because it implies we are responsible at some level for how people feel when dealing with us. It is not simply having good and pure intent but how you deliver the message. As much as I love the Kindness of the Lord, many times I can overlook this value in life and not give it the priority it deserves. I know I have been guilty of this and I am working and praying to overcome. Kindness is a key to healthy relationship and the true purpose of the Christian life is having healthy relationship with God and others.
So,what can we do to be more Kind?
Notice the needs of those around us – Love begins by seeing the needs of those around us. People are wounded and we need to be willing to see their woundedness and have empathy. Hurry is the death of kindness. The more we slow down the more we will notice the needs of others. “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others”. 1 Corinthians 10:24
Be sympathetic to the pain of others – Feel the pain and emotion of what others are going through by really listening to them. Stop asking why they are that way and ask what happened to them. Understand their story and what they have experienced. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”. Galatians 6:2
Seize the moment and do not delay – There is no better time than the present to engage in acts of Kindness. Don’t wait to show Kindness make it your highest priority from day to day. Why put off until later what you can do now. There is much fruit to bare.
Be willing to invest and spend whatever it takes – Being Kind and caring towards others can be costly because it is so personal. It will likely cost us time, money, and energy but it is well worth it. God values people more than anything and there is a high return when we invest in others by showing godly Kindness.
In summary, Kindness is love in action. It is having pure motives grounded in love and slowing down enough to communicate in a caring and considerate manner. Just like most of God’s truths, showing Kindness to others will not only make life more pleasant, but it will win favor with God and others and allow for more blessing in our lives.
Lord, I pray that you would give us the capacity to know and experience your loving Kindness so we can extend the same to others. To all people, even to those we may see as not friendly to us. As followers of Christ, we are called to show loving Kindness to all!
Have a great week!
Duane