Kindness
Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you. Proverbs 11:17
We tend to get a bit coy about the idea of getting rewards for living a godly life. This makes us very different from the writer of Proverbs! He was absolutely clear that living in line with God’s love and truth has rich rewards. It leads to a life bubbling over with joy, peace, love and healthy relationships.
At the same time, he was clear that living contrary to God’s will leads to a life of misery and destruction. His view of life is refreshingly straightforward.
‘Kindness’ is a beautiful word that reflects the love and generosity of God. The Hebrew word is one we have met before. Hesed speaks of the faithfulness and love of our covenant-keeping God. This isn’t an occasional whim but an attitude of life.
Isn’t it wonderful when you experience kindness? Perhaps someone went out of their way to help you, or sent you a text, email or card to say they were thinking of you. They didn’t have to do it, and you probably weren’t expecting it but, out of sheer kindness, they took the trouble to reach out to you.
Every day, we are given the opportunity to be kind. I love the words of William Penn, the writer, religious thinker and founder of Pennsylvania: “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” What inspiring words!
It’s easy to be so busy that we don’t have time for little acts of kindness. However, those gestures of love and thoughtfulness can have a huge impact and cause incredible blessing. As Penn indicates, our opportunities to show kindness are not unlimited. We need to grasp every opportunity we are given to pass on the kindness which we first received from God. That means starting today!
QUESTION
In what way have you experienced kindness recently, and how might you be kind today?
PRAYER
Loving God, I thank you for the kindness that I have received. Help me to seize every opportunity to be kind to others. Amen