“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” 
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Being kind in this world is becoming a lost art in some areas of our culture. In Matthew 5:40-42 Jesus tells His followers “If someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” And in Romans 12:20 Paul tells his audience “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Paul is quoting from the book of Proverbs. In fact, the Old Testament is full of “kindness” laws. Within the book of Deuteronomy, there are a plethora of laws that deal with being kind, fair and honest with your family, neighbors and foreigners.

Love displays itself in kindness towards others. Romans 2:4 tells us that it’s the kindness of God that leads us toward repentance. Being kind will draw people to you, and in doing so hopefully those people will ultimately be drawn to God. Being kind is asking the clerk behind the cashier’s counter how their day is going. Being kind is watching your neighbors’ kids while she runs another kid to the ER. Kindness is handing out cold water bottles on a hot day at the stadium, or raking your elderly neighbors’ yard in the fall. The chance to be kind is all around you. I challenge you to ask God to open your eyes to see the opportunities to display kindness to those around you. I think you’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there are!

God bless!

Noree Wegmeyer

Photo Credit:   https://www.pexels.com/photo/soldier-giving-red-fruit-on-2-children-during-daytime-36785/