I just came back from a school hiking trip in the Drakensburg, and our accommodation was primitive to say the least: we slept in a cave, we showered in a waterfall and, most shockingly; there were no bathrooms!! Now I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not super comfortable with doing my business in a bush (lemme just tell you, grass can be very sharp and can poke you in some very weird places X_x)
So there I was, rushing to pack things for camp, when I forgot to bring the most fundamental thing: toilet paper! Not only would I have had to go in the open on a mountain, now I wouldn't be able to experience the last aspect of civilization either: using toilet paper.
Now luckily for me, I have some amazing friends and one of my friends, Megan, did a super generous and kind thing: she let me use her toilet paper.
Ok, I'm cringing writing this so far (toilet practices are not usually on the top of my list of conversation starters), but I thought Megan did a super kind thing- I mean what if, by some chance, she had run out of toilet paper because of me (gross, now I sound like I have a bladder problem... Just remember this is hypothetical :P)?!
That brings me to the topic of this week's blog: kindness.
So now that patience has (hopefully) been cemented into place (my cement is still drying...), it's time to build the next part of the wall: the block of kindness.
"Love is patient, love is kind.... it is not self-seeking..." 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love..., patience, kindness...." Galatians 5:22
Once you have mastered the art of patience, it makes it a whole lot easier to be kind. But hey, wait! What is kindness?
In simple terms, I'd say it's being nice to others or doing something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return. However, I am not an English teacher, so here's the proper definition:
"The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate" (Oxford Dictionary)
Ah that's awesome, so to be kind you should be friendly to, generous to and considerate of others.
Now why is this so important?
Well I think that being kind is showing love in the physical form. I mean think about it; would you go to your enemy and bake them a cake if you didn't love them at least a little bit? And no, poisonous cake does not count! :/
Kindness is such an important and strategic way to show God's love to others and to get them asking questions about God. Just imagine there was someone at your school/ work who wasn't able to bring lunch for some reason, so you packed an extra sandwich for them every day. Now that's super kind, and I bet you one day that person will ask, "Howcome you do this for me?" Then BAM! In you go with your whole lemme-tell-you-all-about-my-King speech #PerfectOpportunity.
Now here's the main reason kindess is important:
Are you ready for this?
Are you taking a seat?
This might shock you:
GOD TELLS US IN HIS WORD TO BE KIND.
It's as plain and simple as that. We are supposed to obey God, and part of that obeying means we should be kind to others.
In fact, Ephesians 4:32 tells us, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Proverbs 11:17 says, "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself."
Colossians 3:12 tells us to, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience"
Romans 15:2, "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up."
Acts 20:35, " ...the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
As you can see, kindness is very important throughout the Word. Those were just a few examples but there are plenty more.
By being kind, many opportunities will be opened to you. We should be kind to those around us, trying to build them up and not down. This does not necessarily mean only physically doing kind things- it means verbally as well. Our tongues hold the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21) and I think can actually be more harmful than a weapon. If you're stabbed or shot or whatever, the pain will eventually go away. However, when somebody says something nasty to you, it can affect you 'till your dying day. Ephesians 4:29 actually warns us, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."
When we speak to, or about others, it should be encouraging and motivating; not belittling or demeaning. Life is hard enough as it is and I don't think we have the right to make it any harder for other people by verbally breaking them down. Words are important; they are impactful and powerful, both in the way they can hurt someone and in the way they can bring someone up. Imagine if every time you wanted to say something bad about someone, you said something good instead? Imagine how different the world would be. Our words can change the world!
Kindness can also be shown physically, mainly through generosity. Now I think in today's economic slump, people are very hesitant to be kind; money's tight! But here's the thing: kindness does not have to be expensive. By spending tons of cash on doing something nice or kind does not make it any kinder. A kindness can be some as extravagant as buying a car for someone you know is battling, or as simple as lending someone toilet paper! To me, they are both equally kind as they meet two different needs.
I heard a sermon once titled "A Random Act of Kindness" that was centered at the idea that we should just do random, unplanned acts of kindness. Now that got me on fire; I wanted to be super kind to everyone and just do kind things all day. One thing I discovered, though, is that often when you least expect it, that is when God calls you to do the deed of kindness.
Maybe it's offering someone half your sandwich, or maybe it's volunteering at the SPCA or a children's shelter one weekend. Who knows? It may even something like listening to your grandpa reminisce about the past. Again, kindness does not have to cost you anything.
By building this block of kindness, you will be yet another step closer to love. We should "put on" kindness every day, refusing to leave the house without it. Kindness should become a natural inclination that requires no thought. It's not always easy to be kind, but just remember that you never know what someone else is going through, and by being kind to them, you may be saving their life in some way. Kindness can change families, people, lives. There is no limit to the heights that kindness can catapult you to.
Therefore my challenge to you this week is to SHOW KINDNESS.
Whether it may be saying something nice about someone else, sharing food with someone, giving money to a beggar, helping a granny cross the road, writing someone you don't normally speak to an encouraging letter...
Don't let people hold you back. Most importantly, don't hold yourself back! It is incredible to see what God is capable of doing when you start obeying Him.
Aesop said, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
So let's do this.
Let's change the world.
One small, kind step at a time.
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