Dr. Charles Stanley has been a provider of insightful messages for many years. Not only does he provide timely wisdom for the twenty-first century, but the lessons he shares from Scripture are timeless. And when he opens the message with probing and thoughtful questions, I do my best to pay careful attention. Stanley inquires, “Do you consider yourself to be a kind person? Think about it a moment. You’re patient. You’re easygoing. You’re warmhearted, thoughtful, and you’re just fun to be with. Now, you may be thinking ‘No, I’m not, but I’d like to meet somebody like that!’ But I want you to think about this. A kind person is a person who stands out in a crowd. They may not be the one who talks the most, but there’s something about a kind person. It’s sort of a built-in attraction. It’s just there. And when a person is kind, it not only shows in their face, but naturally, most of all, in their actions.”

In addition to considering your own character, I desire for us to think deeply on another question. Have you ever met anyone who oozes Kindness? You know the type of person I’m talking about, regardless of the circumstances, even when being treated poorly, their initial response is to act in a kind manner. For most of us, this is not a reaction that comes naturally in all situations. Human nature is to become self-protective and defensive, yet the person displaying Kindness, reaches into themselves, and with the power of the Holy Spirit responds differently; they respond as Christ would. Stanley shares, “Kindness is a very, very Christ-like characteristic…when the Holy Spirit is free in you and me to live out what God intends for Him to live out in us, Kindness is going to be one of them. We’re going to be thoughtful of others.”

So, I want to ask you to consider delving with me into one of the Flourishing Fruits of the Spirit that we learn about in Galatians 5: kindness. Let’s see if we can create some Kindness is statements from great sources like Stanley and the Kendrick’s in their book The Love Dare.

• Kindness is…a strong defense—Stanley suggests, “An act of Kindness is sometimes the strongest defense you can have. When somebody just tells you off and lets you have it, you just stand there. What I’ve discovered is this: they do not know what to do with Kindness.
• Kindness is…a pardon—God has pardoned us from our sin.
• Kindness is…keeping a promise–“Every promise God has made to His children, He will keep every one of them,” shares Stanley.
• Kindness is…a gift—it can change the atmosphere of the people and places around you.
• Kindness is…love in action—From The Love Dare, “Patience avoids a problem, kindness creates a blessing. One is preventative, the other proactive.”
• Kindness is…gentle—“Even if you need to say hard things, you’ll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy as possible to hear.”
• Kindness is…helpful—“Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it’s housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it.”
• Kindness is…willing—cooperation and flexibility. “Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate.”
• Kindness is initiating—“Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step…you see the need, then make your move. First.”

Certainly, this is not an exhaustive list, as we could continue to add all the ways that Kindness manifests itself in our daily actions, but I do offer that we consider WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)? Or even mirror the actions of the Good Samaritan as outlined in The Love Dare, “Crossing all cultural boundaries and risking ridicule, he stops to help the man…Where years of racism had caused strife and division, one act of Kindness brought two enemies together. Gently. Helpfully. Willingly. Taking the initiative, this man demonstrated true Kindness in every way.” Yes, timeless advice indeed.

What are some ways that we could begin to cultivate the Flourishing Fruit of Kindness in our lives today? How can we be sure it oozes out of us and cascades over those within our sphere of influence? Who needs a random act of Kindness in their life today? Please consider sharing your thoughts in the comments below so that we may all begin to think about making the world a little kinder.

References:

Kendrick, S. & Kendrick, A. (2008). The love dare. B&H Publishing.

Stanley, C. (2018, November 2). The attractive quality of kindness. InTouch Ministries. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdRiV-ENXyA