Sometimes, we all just need a little reminder. I was losing my mind and taking it out on the poor security alarm repairman when he gave me a half-smile and pointed towards me, indicating I should look down. That’s when I realized I was wearing my “Be A Nice Human” T-shirt. So, I immediately shut my mouth, burst into tears, then apologized profusely. The kind repairman handed me a Kleenex and said, “It’s OK.” I try to remember always to offer kindness because you never know what someone else is going through.
And boy, was I going through it. You see, the T-shirt I was wearing was from a fundraiser to pay for a student who’d just passed away from cancer. I was newly divorced, alone, afraid, and struggling financially. I had only invested in an alarm system because I wasn’t used to living alone and hoped it would help me feel safer. But the ridiculous thing kept going off at all hours of the day and night for no reason. When I got my mail, I found a letter from the police department stating that if there were one more false alarm on my property, I would have to pay a fine of $100. And well… I just wanted the repairman to make it all stop. But, of course, none of this was his fault. And he didn’t deserve my intense emotional outburst.
What is Kindness, And Where Does It Originate?
Kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. It means giving of ourselves in time, money, or actions in love and mercy to others without expecting to receive anything in return. Kindness is even given to those who don’t deserve it.
But kindness doesn’t originate with us. It’s been around since the beginning of time. God performed the first act of kindness by giving us life and creating this beautiful world. Look around. His glorious creation surrounds us, from a glorious sunrise to a full moon reflecting over the ocean, brilliantly colored butterflies, rushing waterfalls, and glistening dew drops upon flowers. The Earth testifies to God’s kindness.
The Greatest Act of Kindness: Jesus
The Lord kindly invited us into a relationship with Him. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV). In fact, even though the Bible tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10, NIV). God extended the greatest act of kindness to us when he sent Jesus to save us. “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3: 4-5, NIV) .“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7, NIV).
God’s Love and Kindness Changes and Enables Us
God’s loving-kindness changes us from the inside out. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5, NIV). This “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22, NIV). The word used here for “kindness” comes from the word “Chrestos” and means a softening of something hard or harsh. So, living in a close relationship with Jesus softens us and enables us to extend kindness towards others. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV).
The Bible teaches Us To Love Others and Be Kind
Jesus taught us the two greatest commands are: love God and love others (Mark 12:30-31). When we follow these commands, we can perform the greatest act of kindness for others: draw them into a relationship with Jesus. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35, NIV). When others see our kindness and changed character, they will see God’s work displayed and want this for themselves.
Here are some ways the Bible tells us we can be kind and loving toward others:
- “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, NIV).
- “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:3, NIV).
- “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12, NIV).
- “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19:17, NIV).
Remember, kindness doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It can be as simple as a smile, saying good morning, giving a hug, donating used items, volunteering your time, being a good listener, or praying for someone. It might even be extending grace to someone who is being unkind to you, as the repairman did for me.
When Kindness is Hard to Give
There may be times when we find it hard to give kindness to others. When we are emotionally overloaded, as I was, we can pray and give our worries to God. Sometimes, the person we struggle to be kind to has hurt us. So, we can ask God to help us with any unforgiveness. Maybe we feel threatened and need to spend some time bathing our minds in God’s word, reminding ourselves of who we are to Him and how much He loves us. Or we might even be dealing with a bit of pride and need to humbly ask God for forgiveness and ask Him to remove it.
But whatever the case, we can take a lesson from David. We can ask God to search our hearts. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me” (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV). Then, we can ask God to forgive us and renew our hearts. “Blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:9-10, NIV). Finally, we can ask Jesus to fill us with His unconditional love. Then His kindness will overflow onto others.
Be Kind To Ourselves
If we want to be able to extend kindness toward others, we must also extend some towards ourselves and keep our cups full. Here are a few ways to fill your kindness cup:
- Get enough sleep
- Spend some quiet time with God
- Read the Bible and meditate on God’s truth and promises
- Listen to Christian music
- Dance or exercise
- Get outside and enjoy God’s creation
- Do something fun
- Read a book
- Get or give a hug
- Extend grace and forgiveness to yourself
Finally, friend, nothing we ever do will be able to compare with God’s best gift of kindness towards us, Jesus. But reflecting on it can motivate us to do even small things with great love. And no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. When we give of ourselves with kindness, we become beautiful. And we make the world a more beautiful place. the world a more beautiful place.
