The little lame boy hurried to the passenger gate of the railway station as fast as his crutches and basket of fruit and candy would permit. As the passengers rushed through the gate, a young man accidentally hit the basket, knocking oranges and apples in every direction. He stopped only long enough to scold the boy for being in his way. Another young man who was passing by saw the boy’s distress and began picking uphis fruit. As he placed it in the basket, he put a silver dollar in his hand. With a “Better luck next time” and a smile, he went his way. “Hey, Mister,” called the little boy, “Are you Jesus?” “No,” answered his friend, “I’m only one of His followers.”
Galatians 5:22 (Amplified version)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Today we talk about kindness. We live in a selfish world where the predominant attitude seems to be every man for himself. It’s amazing how doing the right thing has become so rare that when you do something kind, people look at you like you came from outta space.
Kindness is the act marked by charitable behavior, mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others
We live in a world where before you do something for someone you have to ask what is in this for me. What will I gain from this? How do I benefit from this? Gone are the days when you did something for another person just because it is the right thing to do and they are a fellow human being.
When was the last time you went out of your way to be kind to someone?
Open your eyes and look around you. There are lots of people in need. Now you cannot help all of them, but that does not mean you can’t help one.
Be kind to someone today,
Give them a lift,
Help a blind person cross the road,
Buy groceries for a needy family,
Visit someone and pray with them,
Buy someone lunch, give away the clothes you don’t use to someone in need,
Encourage someone…. This is how we should live our life daily and not on special occasions.
If you look you will see thousands upon thousands of opportunities to be kind and show goodness to someone today. Don’t give excuses and let all of them pass you by, remember “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD”, and He will reward him for what he has done.
Reflective thoughts.
Does kindness come naturally to you or do you always find yourself looking at the bottom line by asking what is in it for me?
There are so many con artists out there looking for “Kind” people to take advantage of. Have you allowed the fear of being taken advantage of kill the fruit of kindness in your life?
