Lifestyle of Kindness

 Let kindness be a lifestyle, not just a random act. Think of the noble woman of Proverbs 31 and the widow of 1 Timothy 5:9 &10.  Hone in on the widow who would have had to have  been engaged in a daily guidance by kindness to have done all she did even before widowhood overtook her. 

"...faithful to her husband...well-known for her deeds, such as bringing up her children, showing hospitality, washing the saints feet, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds" (NIV).

Just pause a  few  seconds and re-read that list.  Quietly now.  Think about each one, one at a time.

Kindness was in her DNA and pores, and both women made it their modus operandi.

Kindness...the Dictionary.com by Oxford Languages denotes that kindness is

 "the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate".

To me, that definition falls short and flat when we consider the acts of kindness that not just the noble woman and widow did from their heart rent to the service of others and the Lord but that's what our God has actually done for us.  Both Joel (2:13 KJV) and Jonah (4:2 KJV) mention "God...of great kindness".  Then the Psalm 117:2 writer penned that God has 

"merciful kindness which is great towards us".

God rent his heart to do this.  In those days, the ancients often rent their garments to show their intense emotions.  Here it goes even deeper, God rending His heart!  Time and again the Jews were recipients of God's great kindness.  

God, out of His love, compassion and great kindness, also sent His Son Jesus to redeem our souls.  This was so we don't just hear God talk about kindness but we see kindness in action through Jesus.

Jesus, Himself could not help Himself to not show great kindness wherever He walked.  Healing the sick, making the blind to see, feeding the  crowds and showing the way to His disciples is what He did.  Like saying,"This is how to do it!"

Jesus' kindness extended to widows and even women of ill repute.  Women and especially widows were seen among the lowest of the low of humanity back in that day.  Jesus couldn't abide that!  He raised them up.

Another list of what kindness does will challenge and melt your heart.  First off, it forgives others.  This is a toughie, at least for me.  Think  though, God forgives our sins when we accept Jesus as our Savior.  His depth of forgiveness gets our sins flung so far, far away as east is from the west.  Can't get any more thorough than that!

Does our kindness include such forgiveness?  Unforgiveness can weigh heavily in our hearts like a huge stone, for years.  Rend your heart.  Kneel before the Lord and ask His kind help in helping you  remove unforgiveness.  It's a kindness to yourself as well as to others.

Next, kindness leads us to please our neighbor for his good.  Neighbors can be irritating but a batch of homemade cookies could patch up ruffled feathers and/or build a bridge to bring the kindness and love of Christ to them.  Let us not be weary in well-doing because God's merciful kindness is great.

We've seen the list of the noble widow - hospitality, care of the afflicted and many other good deeds, let's be like her, bearing the infirmities of the weak, being likeminded with our brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  That could be another tough one for some people but remember your motto, "lifestyle of kindness' - drape it over you like a mantle and aura.

A "soft answer" shows kindness.  That gets me!  However, we're told

 "a soft answer turns away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1).  

Try it.  See how it works.  Try, try again if a first you don't succeed.  Let it stem from a Holy Spirit led heart of kindness.  Practice.

Sometimes, for the sake of others, we will show kindness.  Remember David and Jonathan of the Old Testament?  They were best friends.  Jonathan  died in battle though.  Later, when David had become king, he recalled his promise to Jonathan and so David,

"showed kindness"

to Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:1).

Usually a  new king would kill off all his potential competition.  By rights, Mephibosheth would have been put to death.  He was Jonathan's son and therefore,  heir apparent since  all other descendants were no longer in the playing field.  Kindness for  the sake of others preserved his life.

Kindness for the sake of another got me a husband.  I kid you not!  I had been asked by a mutual friend to show hospitality to this new guy that came to town to study and attended my church.    Reluctantly, I agreed.  To make a long story short...what a wonder kindness works!  Ha, ha.

In meekness and kindness we  may even sell our possesions in order to give alms to the needy as the early Christians did in the book of Acts.   Sometimes when missionaries return home on furlough, they do not have a vehicle, or even a home to shelter in.  I have heard of thoughtful and kind folks on the homefront offering the use of their own homes and vehicles for the furlough duration.  They did not sell, but offered the use thereof for that which was needful.  This is preferring others above oneself.  This is to the point of sacrifice.

Aesop is quoted as having written,

"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted."

I believe we will never fully realize how far reaching our kindness will send forth its ripples.

Second Peter 1:7 says, 

"...and add to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love..."

The Scriptures are chock full about kindness and of exhortations to "put on" kindness, not as a pretentiously pious act of pretending we are kind, but to put kindness on as a sincere garment.  Think  of a beautifully embroidered garment, intricately adorned, even with gold threads.  How exquisite that would be!  

Think kindness.  Think intentionally to yourself, I'll make kindness a law in my life.  I love Proverbs 31:26 NIV where the woman of noble character is described as,

"in her tongue is the law of kindness."

Another smack in the face for some of us, perhaps.  Are my words soft and tender, or sarcastic and caustic?  Are they words to build up or to destroy?  Watch your words, make them kind, wholesome and constructive.  Acts of kindness and words of kindness, let's make both a law for oursleves.

For followers of Jesus Christ, we have the Holy Spirit and among the list of the quality characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, guess what we find?  Kindness.

So we are not doing this under our own steam of common grace, rather of the un-common grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, empowered by the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit within us.  This is such a comfort to me as, even so late in my Christian life, I sheepishly discover that I'm not a very kind person.  However, there is still hope and I intend to intentionally grow this fruit.  Want to join me?

You see, when we read Galation 5:22-26, we read that list, 'love, joy, peace and maybe even remember patience but we sort of peter out on the rest of the list.  We need to work our way through them all.  Try a little kindness and let's let kindness be our lifestyle and not just a random act.  

                                                      ~ERC  May 2022~

Based on Galations 5:22-26.  See also, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2 KJV.

Sing, Try a Little Kindness, along with Glen Campbell.