Kindness has been one of the most difficult qualities to define and analyse so far. I struggled to figure out how I could separate it from other fruits of the Spirit like love, goodness, patience etc. I searched for a relevant verse but couldn’t find one that I felt specifically referred to kindness so I had to get creative. I deduced that kindness can be shown in two forms – our speech and our actions. I ended up finding this verse, which I felt got to the core of what stops us from sharing kindness in speech, rather than what helps us achieve it:

“Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” – Ephesians Ch4: v29

Kindness is an outward reflection of a kind and holy heart whereas “unwholesome talk” is reference to gossiping and insulting others. To practise kindness is to encourage and support others with a genuine yearning to see others grow and prosper in their life and faith!  And not only wanting that, but to actively strive to achieve it through words of encouragement on a daily basis.

I have this really humorous image of Jesus in my mind, walking through the streets of Jerusalem, literally having to restrain himself from embracing everyone and sharing a kind word or two! It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s pretty accurate because he has SO much love to share! That should be our goal! To be that source of light in the darkness that shines bright against the crowds and sets us apart from everyone else. Sure, sometimes you can feel a little vulnerable, being commanded to be so different from others but I’ve always wanted others to see me as the go to person if they need a favour, some support or a bit of advice because then I know I’ve made an impact on others. It makes witnessing so much easier too – eventually, your peers start to recognise that God has something to do with such a willingness to help others!

Whilst showing Kindness through words can be challenging, showing kindness through your actions is even more challenging! It really is one of the hardest qualities to maintain because it can just be so labour intensive! And there’s no shame in thinking that, because it’s true! It’s hard work! But the thing is, if it was easy, then we’d all be doing it and imagine the wonderful world we’d have today?

God shows us in Isaiah: “The workers help each other and say to each other, ‘Be strong!’” – Isaiah Ch41: v6 - reminding us that we have to uplift our Christian friends in their faith by never belittling their problems or patronising them. Instead, we should remember that we are all running toward the same goal on level footing.

We also have to keep in mind, that although it can be time consuming and not always ideal for us, Jesus reached out to people from ALL walks of life. He didn’t restrict his kindness to his disciples, or his friends and family. He displayed it to outcasts, sinners, people from all walks of life because they were equally deserving of such love. That’s an approach we should all have in life! Not to limit our kind words to our best friend, but to pass a kind word onto that girl in your class who’s struggling in school or the boy who’s struggling at home. What’s so difficult about dropping someone a quick text, “Don’t worry, things will look up!”?  . Yet all too often, we put it off and that person misses out on what could have been, life changing words. So, remember, that kindness should be shown to whomever, whenever possible, with complete honesty, which brings me to my last point.

A lot of the time, I do someone a favour because I know they’ll owe me one. As a Christian, I should never practise kindness for my own ends and should regularly evaluate my motives. Am I doing it for something in return? Or because I hope my kindness will bring the person to know God as their Saviour?

Pray, like I must every day, that God will give you a genuine want to show such kindness to others. Remember, the day you find yourself actually helping someone, instead of simply thinking about it – that’s the day you know Gods beginning to transform your heart.