August 9, 2021

 

What Does Kindness Look Like?

 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

– Colossians 3:12

 

Another year, another new school. She was used to it. It was the life of a military child. She joined the throng of teenagers and lined up to purchase her lunch. Where to sit? She started toward an open table.

 

Someone called her name and she turned. She recognized a girl from her morning history class. The girl’s smile was warm as she beckoned her toward a table where several other students already sat.

 

She joined the group, smiling at introductions and good-natured banter. She was included. The warmth of that kind gesture filled her up.

 

The elderly man shuffled to his mailbox. Cars zoomed by. Young families scurried into their homes. He hardly knew anyone in the neighborhood anymore. It was so different from when he and his wife first moved into their new house. Two babies soon followed and they were busy and happy. Life was good.

 

These days it was just him. It had been almost five years since his wife went home to Jesus. His kids and their families had long since moved away. Their lives were busy with careers and children. He rarely saw them anymore. He rarely saw anyone anymore. He just wasn’t able to get out much, especially when it involved driving the busy roads.

 

He noticed a young man cross the street and head toward him. A smile lit his face at the unexpected company. They sat on the front porch rockers and visited awhile. Then something extraordinary happened. The young man invited his elderly neighbor to church and lunch afterwards.

 

The next Sunday the elderly man dressed up and was ready way before the young man pulled his car into the driveway. He’d worried that he’d be too slow but the young man never seemed concerned. He met a lot of nice people at church and afterwards at lunch. The young man insisted on paying. His treat, he said. The elderly man felt his heart fill with warmth. It had been a long time since anyone had chosen to spend time with him.

 

We talk a lot about kindness these days. Be Kind the signs tell us. We know kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. But what does it look like? We’re nice to people, aren’t we? We try to do good things for our friends and coworkers. But strangers? Well, maybe not so much. We really don’t want to be inconvenienced. We’d prefer to spend our free time with “our” people and not invite someone new into the group.

 

But what if we did? What if we intentionally reached out to the lonely, the forgotten, those who couldn’t repay us? What if we chose to be kind not because of what we might gain but because of what we might give? What if we showed up and really loved people like Jesus?