Kindness Matters

Before I was a Christian, before I knew what asking Jesus to be my Savior meant and before I knew this was actually a scripture in the bible - I learned - “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you”. It was boldly posted on plastic covered posters lining the walls of my elementary school, everyday it was repeated by my teachers and at home by my parents. They called it the golden rule. What they were saying...was simply - be kind. A golden rule indeed.

Gold is considered valuable for many reasons but one I find most interesting is that it doesn’t oxidize and it is has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals. What does this have to do with kindness? As a society we used to look at kindness as something valuable and not easily corroded. It was esteemed as something as valuable as gold. In today’s world it seems that actual gold is far more valuable than an act of kindness. Human trafficking, school shootings, mass murders, war, government in turmoil and unfortunately the list goes on. These things continue to happen because money and power have become what is of the most value to people.

Even though we have so much negative going on in the world around us - I remain an optimist. I believe in hope, resurrection, second chances and that the hearts of people can change. I believe with God all things are possible. I believe in the ripple effect of love and kindness. I believe that one person can make a difference. I believe that the positive around us can be contagious and that love covers a multitude of sin.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

These verses aren’t very long but they sure are powerful. Kindness really isn’t about treating people the way we think they should be treated or even how we want to be treated ourselves but it’s more about the fact that we have all been forgiven of so much sin that the only way we can begin to show gratitude to God for this is by the way we treat others; these others are His children. It is an action that starts with the condition of our hearts.

Jesus didn’t just die for you and me. He died for all. Each and every sin. The horribly unimaginable and those we think aren’t that big a deal...when in reality...to God they are all a big deal. Jesus died for the lie you told Aunt Betty when you said you liked her new hairstyle and He died for the murderers on death row. I don’t think our carnal minds can really fathom putting these two in the same sentence...yet Jesus shed His blood for all of it.

So when you find yourself feeling short tempered while waiting in the long check out line, tempted to curse the driver that cut you off in traffic, gossiping about the co-worker that stole your promotion, or you are tempted to scold the clerk that is super nervous and a little slow on their first day of a new job - remember - God loves them - Jesus died for them - and you have a supernatural Holy Spirit living inside of you to help you be kind to them.

Kindness matters so much and has a much greater reach than we can sometimes imagine. I remember when I was a freshman in high school and still riding the bus. Everyday on the bus ride home there was a student that underwent severe bullying. I remember one time the bullies put gum in his hair and he had to shave his head. My heart ached for him.
A day finally came that I just couldn’t listen to

it anymore. I stood up and told the bullies to shut up and sit down. I told them they weren’t any better than anyone else and the fact that they had to pick on this kid to make themselves look better only made them look worse. They looked shocked and pretty mortified that a freshman had put them in their place. They sat down, shut up and got off at their stop. I can’t say the bullying completely stopped after that day but it definitely lessened. Later that year the student that had been bullied called me. He told me how much he appreciated me standing up for him and that he had actually contemplated suicide because of the harsh bullying he had endured. He said my kindness kept him alive. As a freshman, I don’t think I fully understood what I had done, but I did learn that kindness matters. It doesn’t matter how great or small we think our act of kindness is - it all matters. A smile, holding the door for someone, acknowledging others in conversation and letting others know they are valued.

I think if we could focus more on the fact that Jesus died for all of us and concentrate more on the gift of salvation that we have each received individually then we could get our minds off of whether or not others deserve our kindness but that being kind to everyone should be a part of who we really are on the inside - especially if we choose to call ourselves Christians.

Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

The hope of eternal life should be enough to take our minds off of the things of this world and on the things above. It should be enough to overwhelm us to the point we are inspired to be kind. We should want to value others. We need to show them the love of Jesus through our kindness. Because in reality that is what we are doing. If we bear the name Christian, every action, positive or negative, is a reflection of who God is to us. We are no longer representing ourselves, but our heavenly Kingdom.

Let me encourage you today - allow the ripple effect of kindness to begin with you. Make a choice today to be kind. It matters.