It had been a rough day. I was nursing a cold. (Are those things fatal, because mine felt that way?) I was working on a day that I should have been off, and no one seemed to appreciate the effort I was making. It seemed that the things that could go wrong were doing just that, only in spades.
I was in the mood for a pity party, and was in the middle of one of the better ones I had thrown for myself, when I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket. I looked down and noticed I had a text.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I opened the text to see what it was. It was a simple message from a long-time friend, wishing me a good day. That’s all.
Suddenly, the dark cloud that was hanging over me began to dissipate. My mood brightened, and I texted my friend back, thanking her for her thoughtfulness. I didn’t burden her with my “Poor little me” attitude, but I genuinely appreciated her taking the time and effort to think of me and send me a short message.
That act of kindness helped make my day a better one than it had been. The cold was still there, and I was still at work, and things continued to go wrong, but at least I knew someone was thinking of me, and that mattered. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 12:25).
That’s one of the reasons the Bible tells us that love is kind.
The Bible and Kindness
First Corinthians 13:4 tells us that love is patient, and that love is kind. Some translations join the words together—“love is patient and kind”—while others separate them—“Love is patient. Love is kind.” The two terms are closely related, and both speak to the way we relate to others around us. The difference between them is that patience is passive, while kindness is active. Patience is largely the art of waiting, while kindness is the act of being friendly, generous and considerate.
When the Bible speaks of kindness, it generally speaks to one’s actions towards those who are unable to repay the kindness.
- “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy” (Proverbs 14:21).
- “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31).
- “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done” (Proverbs 19:17).
- “Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that your prosperity will continue” (Daniel 4:27).
- “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35).
The idea presented is consistent with the premise of the Golden Rule. The act of kindness is one that does not seek reciprocity, nor is it dependent upon the actions of others. The reason we are kind to one another is because it is an extension of the love of Christ, the love that indwells us through the presence of His Spirit and transforms us into His likeness. “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).
Kindness grows out of the way God has demonstrated kindness to us. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7).
The act of being kind is seen in the daily random interactions between ourselves and others. Such things as holding a door open for someone, reshelving an item that has fallen on the grocery store floor, giving someone a smile or a small greeting as you pass—these are all acts of kindness that cost us nothing but that reflect the heart of the person sharing the kindness. Being courteous to others is an act of kindness.
The act of kindness is done not for the benefit of the one doing the kindness, but for the benefit of the recipient. While it’s nice to be thanked for doing something for someone, it isn’t the goal of the act of kindness. The idea of expecting to be thanked for the act of kindness is akin to the man who stands at the public square and prays aloud so others can see his piety. Jesus’ pronouncement on that matter was that the public prayer is paid in full by the admiration of men, but receives nothing from God.
In the same way, the act of kindness is not something to be done for the benefit of others to comment on how kind we are, but merely an outward extension of the love of Christ that indwells the believer. We are kind because the demonstration of our love for God is displayed in the way we love others as ourselves.
Conclusion
As much as agape love is found in our patience towards others and circumstances, so is our love demonstrated in the way we treat one another. Kindness requires an awareness of those around us and the desire for their well-being. Kindness is the natural flow of a fruitful, Spirit-filled life that radiates the love of God. Being kind is an extension of Christ in us.
© 2019 Glynn Beaty