Though we talk to little children about it a lot, kindness does not often find its way into the teaching material for mature Christians. It should though.
Kindness is one of the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, it is one of the qualities that should show up when God’s spirit is interacting with the life of his people. Kindness is important for many reasons, but it is absolutely necessary for these three reasons.
First, kindness breaks my selfish tendencies. Left to my own devices, I will always think about myself first and do what I want to do. Asking the question, “What is the kind response?” changes my viewpoint.
It forces me to see the situation from the perspective of “What can I give and contribute?” rather than, “What do I want or need?” Colossians 3:12 tells us to “Clothe yourselves with… kindness.”
It is to be the quality that covers us and the thing that people see when they look at us. Kindness makes me think about you instead of me.
Secondly, kindness changes how I see others. Again, thinking only from my perspective allows me to be critical and judgmental. When I reframe my thinking about others with kindness, then I start to notice the things that I like and not just what I dislike. Kindness makes me look for ways to encourage and help.
Proverbs 12:25 says, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” When I look for ways to help, kindness finds a way through and makes a difference.
Lastly, kindness makes me look like a child of God. You have probably had the experience of seeing someone and saying, “You look just like your mom.” Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” When we act out of kindness, God’s own nature shines through us.
As I said at the start, we spend a lot of time telling little children how important it is to be kind to everyone. That lesson is no less important or powerful as we grow up.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
