As I was driving home from church services one night, contemplating how to begin this article, my little sister began singing the fruit of the Spirit song. You know the one!
“The fruit of the Spirit’s not an apple. If you want to be an apple, you might as well hear it, you can’t be the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
As she was singing, I smiled. This little girl knew exactly what it meant to be a Christian. All the attributes in that song are a necessity for growing in the Word. But, knowing what God expects and applying what He expects are two very different things!
Most people know what kindness is, but I looked up the word and here are all the synonyms I found closely related to and/or that meant the same:
Warmth, Gentleness, Concern, Care, Consideration, Helpfulness, Thoughtfulness, Selflessness, Altruism, Compassion, Sympathy, Understanding, Big-heartedness, Benevolence, Friendliness, Hospitality, Generosity, Charitableness
Do any of these words describe you? They should! Being kind is not always an easy task, especially to those outside the faith. Kindness takes effort! God talks of kindness all throughout the Bible. I’ve pulled out a few verses and compiled a list of reasons why we as Christians should make it our mission to show kindness everywhere we go.
Kindness Helps Others
“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good work makes it glad.”(Proverbs 12:25) Stress and anxiety are not good for us, they cause depression! Stress produces negative emotions about us and others, but what is the solution? “a good work makes it [the heart] glad” There it is, good works! Doing nice things for people and showing kindness not only helps others, but will also be good for you as an individual.
Kindness Is Commanded
“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” (Luke 6:31)
It’s very simple. If you want people to treat you with kindness, then you have to give kindness. Everyone knows this to be true, and yet it is hard to put into practice. With someone whom you really do not like, or someone you feel does not like you, or perhaps even someone who was unkind to you in the beginning, you still have to be kind. Kindness is required to be given even to those who we think do not deserve it.
Kindness Is A Fruit of the Spirit
If we love Christ and if we want to be faithful followers of Jesus, then we should strive to become better at pursuing the fruits of the Spirit. No one is perfect (Romans 3:23), but we can still attempt to grow our faith and become stronger in the Lord by acquiring the fruits.
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself "I know all these things! I know kindness helps others, I know God commands us to be nice, and I know the fruits of the Spirit will help me grow spiritually." Now the question becomes, do you practice this? Do you make an honest intentional effort every day to show kindness to others? Here are a few verses that give practical examples of kindness we can use every day.
“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
God tells us to be tenderhearted. How? You forgive. Forgiveness is one way to show kindness to a brother or sister in Christ and especially to those outside of the faith.
“My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (I John 3:18)
Kindness requires action. To show someone we love them, to shine the light of Christ and allow people to see Him through us, we have to do something! Actions are what show people we are kind-hearted. What are some actions I could do to show kindness? I am sure you could come up with plenty ideas of how to show kindness to people, but here are a few suggestions to help get you started:
Send a card
Smile/Laugh
Be a good listener
Help a Bible teacher
Visit a widow/shut-in
Make someone a gift
Give compliments
Babysit without pay
Go on a mission trip
Give Hugs
Do a service project
Help cook dinner
Make a phone call
Say “I love you”
Sit with a new person
Just say “hi” to people
“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” (I John 4:12)
Being kind is showing God’s love to people. This is our mission as Christians, to spread the word of God and to show people the love God has for us. When we love, God’s word is perfected or completed in us. We are fulfilling our duty as a Christian when we show love. If we want to make it to Heaven and live with God for all eternity then loving each other is an absolute must!
Why choose kindness?
There’s a simple answer: to be closer to God.
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 3:14)
We all want to get to Heaven and to live with God for all eternity. So, let us make it our daily goal to show an act of kindness to someone. If you want to be considered a kind person, you have to make an effort. Kindness will not always come naturally. It’s hard to be kind when you are having an awful day or when another person has really made you upset, angry, or disappointed. It’s difficult to be kind to someone you may not know very well. Here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter what’s hard for us. We have to remember God not only wants us to be kind; He expects it!
