I was sitting on a plane next to one of the most incredible volunteers I've ever met. She and her husband led a charitable organization related to disabilities as a result of their children's disabilities. She also volunteered with teens at her church.
The woman was coming from a teen convention, where she gave a speech that stressed "Being nice and being kind are two different things." Her point was that nice is passive while kindness is active. Being nice is often about not doing negative things; kindness is about doing positive things for others.
As we continue this summer series on the Fruits of the Spirit, we come to the fifth fruit, kindness. I want to share what I call the three A's of kindness. The core passage to go with this post is the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-35.
(Jesus said) A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So, too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “And when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
The Samaritan demonstrated all three A's of kindness. The first is awareness. We have to be aware of the needs around us in order to be kind. I don't only mean when we're out in public, although that is an ideal place to have our eyes open for helping someone. But even people in our own homes may be struggling, yet we are unaware.
The second A is acceptance. We must accept risk and consequence in being kind, because kindness always has a cost. To begin with, our kindness may be rejected, so we must accept the possibility of humiliation or denial. We could also be rejected by those with us, who might not think it's right or cool to get involved with others.
Kindness may also cost you in terms of time or money; you might be late for a meeting. You might give money without knowing how it will really be spent. Kindness could be dangerous if you're dealing with a stranger or even with a loved one who is unstable in some way. The Samaritan took a risk in reaching out to the injured man; robbers could have come after him too, or the injury could have been a ruse to attack him. Then the Samaritan paid for his kindness with both time and money.
Kindness could carry a cost in terms of emotions. Caregivers and medical personnel often have to suppress their emotions while serving, then they deal with the emotional aftermath later.
The third A is action. Once we decide to accept consequences of kindness, we act. The Samaritan bandaged the wounds himself, gave up his donkey for the injured man, and took a risk that the innkeeper would charge him fairly when he returned on his journey.
The Holy Spirit helps us with all three components of kindness. If we go through life with awareness of those around us, acceptance of the risk of kindness, and intentions turned into action, we will serve as kind ambassadors of Christ in the world.
LOVE CONNECTION: It's truly amazing how we treat the people closest to us. We seem to forget kindness. We take them for granted, or worse, we mistreat them. We may say harsh words or push them to their limits, then say that it's all because we love them. We might use the name of love as a shield to treat them badly.
I've seen so many times that a person feels unloved, and the other person is surprised they feel that way. "Of course, I love you. Everything I do is because I love you." Except that the other person may have omitted kindness.
Love is kind. Let's start there. If we love someone, then we should treat them kindly. If we are trying to push them to be better, we must do it kindly. Instead of taking them for granted or acting like they don't exist, we should reach out with kindness. People need to know that we care; we can show caring through kind words and actions.
Have you checked out the Practical Faith Academy podcast? Twice a month, I present other voices who share their life experiences and their thoughts for putting faith into practice. I come away from each podcast inspired and renewed, and you will too. Search for Practical Faith Academy on your favorite podcast platform, or visit my home page and click on the Practical Faith Academy icon.
The link to my home page is https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com.
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