This month, I will be focusing on Kindness, one of the Fruits of the Spirit. Kindness is easy to show for those who are kind to us. But what about those who are not kind first? Or those who support our enemies? Are they still deserving of our kindness?
“He sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.” (2 Samuel 2:5)
Be Kind. Simple and to the point, this phrase is on everything from coffee mugs to t-shirts. It’s also, hopefully, on our minds.
Kindness is something we ooh and ahh over when it pops up on our Facebook feed in the form of videos and feel-good articles. We drum it into our children after each and every sibling skirmish. And we remind ourselves of it whenever we are caught talking to the co-worker who always has a complaint.
In essence, kindness is something we try to practice with everyone, even when our baser instincts call for a sharp retort.
But kindness isn’t just passive or something we pass on to someone else. Seeing others’ kindness, teaching it, and holding our tongues from unkind words is only part of what it means to be kind.
The other part is being kind in the face of unkindness. It’s showing kindness to someone who may or may not respond the same way. It’s being kind to our enemies, and those who aid them.
Following the example of David’s kindness
If you’re familiar with David’s story in the Bible, then you know that he was chosen by God to succeed King Saul. Saul was not happy about this and hunted David for years, until Saul was finally killed.
After Saul’s death, the men from Jabesh Gilead took Saul’s body and buried it properly, showing him the respect due a man anointed by God. When David found out, he honored them.
Can you imagine? David was pursued for years when he had done nothing wrong, and when his pursuer finally dies, he doesn’t cheer. He laments. And then he prayed for God’s faithfulness and kindness to come to those who treated his pursuer with dignity.
Maybe it’s the world today, but I feel that this sort of kindness is especially rare. Kindness to those who are kind to our enemies isn’t the go-to attitude.
But maybe it should be. There’s no challenge to being kind to those who are kind to us. But try kindness to the unkind or to those who do good for those whom you’re at odds with, and it’s not as easy.
David was not perfect, but with his many acts of kindness, you can see why he was a man after God’s own heart.
We, too, should be a people after God’s own heart, in acts of kindness that extend not just to those who are kind to us first.
This week, I hope you will strive to show kindness to everyone is your path. We are all deserving of it as children of God.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these posts:
Leave a Reply