Practicing Kindness

“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!

  Tie them around your neck as a reminder.

  Write them deep within your heart.

 Then you will find favor with both God and people,

 and you will earn a good reputation.” Proverbs 3:3-4 NLT

“Don’t forget to put your caps on!” Ellie called out as her classmate headed to the washroom. He either didn’t hear the wise instruction or chose to ignore it. But, as soon as the washroom door closed behind him, Ellie was at his table snapping the caps tightly on his markers. They would not dry up on her watch!

What an example of kindness! This little girl had no ulterior motive, nothing to personally gain from putting in the effort to walk across the room and match the covers to the markers. And, when her friend returned to his coloring, she did not announce her good deed to look for gratitude. Her act of kindness was pure and refreshing. If she had gone to the washroom, leaving her uncapped markers behind (not that she ever would), she would appreciate someone doing that simple task for her. No one else in the room seemed to notice or care about the markers drying out. They may have even thought his irresponsibility deserved the consequence.

But, Jesus instructed us to notice things like Ellie did: ways we can help others. “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 NIV.

Do we apply this Golden Rule on a regular basis? Do we ask ourselves, “What would I like someone to do for me right now?” and then do it for someone else instead? Consider how that would make the other person feel, and acknowledge that it might cause a warm feeling in your own chest too.

In our hustle and bustle, juggling all of our responsibilities to jobs, our family – life, in general, we miss out on opportunities to show kindness to others, to spread the love of Jesus in tangible ways.

Jesus talks about God’s own heart in Luke 6:35-36, telling us that “he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.” He then challenges us to be compassionate, just as our Father is compassionate. Being kind to others isn’t just a nice thing to do – it’s a command from the One who made us in His image. We are His hands and feet here on Earth.

But, it seems that we are born selfish. Children like Ellie, who look for ways to help people, are unique. Learning to share, taking turns, and waiting for classmates are all things we work on in those two years of Kindergarten because, for most children, these things don’t come naturally. One of the songs we love to play in our classroom compares kindness to a muscle. The lyrics tell us to “flex it every day” by being kind, even when we’re mad. (Kindness is a Muscle by Sprout). The more we look and find ways to practice kindness, the easier it will become.

Kindness is an arm of generosity that doesn’t have to involve spending money. The cost is in taking the time to recognize how you can be kind to someone and follow through. Even empathetically, listening to someone who needs to talk is an act of kindness. We can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but we can be a compassionate sounding board for the concerns of others. As Christians, we can even offer to pray for their situation.

If we knew that one act of kindness would save someone from taking their own life, we would do it in a heartbeat. But we don’t know that. People around us don’t always share their inner torment. A kind word, a genuine compliment, a thank you, even a smile could make a difference in someone’s life. Yes, that smile might be masked, but we’ve all learned to recognize smiling eyes throughout our pandemic’s restrictions.

If you want ideas on ways to be kind, on her blog, But First, Joy, Joyce Santos includes a link to a free PDF file listing 55 acts of kindness (https://butfirstjoy.com/ways-to-be-kind-to-others/). I challenge you to read it through and choose one act each day this week.

Ask El Roi, the God who sees us, to open your eyes to the needs of others. The Holy Spirit will nudge you when kindness can be implemented. You can start by whispering the following prayer with me:

Father, thank You for Your compassion and kindness towards me. Thank You for loving me enough to die for my sins. Thank You for making me Your child when I accepted Your forgiveness. You are the greatest Father. As I grow in my faith and become more like You, I need Your clairvoyance to see how I can be kind to those around me. Give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone to do things that show Your love to the world. You asked us in Your Word to be kind and tender-hearted (Ephesians 4:32), and I now ask for Your help in following through in obedience. Use my kindness to make a difference in the lives of others: a Jesus-sized difference. Amen.

https://valsstage.com/am, check out my TUESDAY TICKLE and FRIDAY FUNNY posts – a joke for a chuckle and a Christian message to encourage or challenge your faith [@valdagoudie]. Send me an email if you’d like these to go straight to your Inbox. I’d love to connect with you! Valda.goudie@gmail.comFor, more blog posts like this, visit Val’s Stage at www.valsstage.com. If you’re on Instagram, check out my TUESDAY TICKLE and FRIDAY FUNNY posts – a joke for a chuckle and a Christian message to encourage or challenge your faith [@valdagoudie]. Send me an email if you’d like these to go straight to your Inbox. I’d love to connect with you! Valda.goudie@gmail.com