Sounds Easy, but It's Not

Luke 6:35-36

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

Devotional

I was having a group conversation online this past week and we were talking about kindness. It’s one of those things that are way easier to say than do. While we were discussing, we realized it was easier to think of what kindness isn’t rather than what it is. Some examples that we came up with of what kindness was not were: stealing from a friend, being rude to someone, or talking about someone behind their back, etc. The list went on and on. When coming up with examples of kindness, we were pretty stumped. Our go-to response was, “Just be nice.” When asked how? It kept going to, “You know, just be nice to them.” But what does that even mean?

We as people tend to be selfish. We always try to get our way. But kindness is about looking to do good for others. What does the Bible say about kindness? Kindness is when you love your enemies (people who are hard to get along with; people you may not even like that much at all), and helping others without expecting to be paid back. It is not selfish and wants the best for the other person. So what does that mean or look like? An example would be (during this time) helping with chores at home or little things like telling your family you appreciate them. By doing that, you are thinking about them, and not yourself.

Why do I have to be kind? Because of God. God, your Heavenly Father, was kind to you first. Always patient and always there looking out for you. You are made in His image and He can make you into a kinder person if you ask. “But why should I be kind when no one else is kind to me?” Life is not always about you and it’s definitely not fair at all. Rather than pointing fingers at people not being kind, why not be kind first? Treat others like how you want to be treated. I don’t have all the answers, but being kind to people is a better way to live. We cannot be kind on our own because we are all selfish and broken people and we expect things in return. Being kind won’t come naturally at all. It takes practice. But to start, ask God to give you a heart of kindness and practice it, and you’ll be amazed.

Reflection

Take some time to pray and ask God for kindness in your heart.
What is holding you back from being kind to others? How might you show kindness to the people around you this week?