...KIND. So simple. I read this word everywhere in the Bible, but something hit me the other night in house church: I've never really thought about its meaning. What does the word "kind" mean? Am I "kind"? Do I exhibit kindness?
My first response is no. I don't think of myself as first and foremost a "kind" person. So, what is a kind person? I think I've always thought of someone who just seems to be sweet all the time to everyone. But I think it goes beyond that.
As a group of us discussed it, some good points were shared. Kindness is not just a feeling, but must be manifested into action. You can't just feel kind...you must BE kind. And someone must receive your kindness...you can't be kind into the air, but you can be kind to someONE. Also...kindness entails valuing people. When I think about Jesus and how He displayed kindness, its easy to see that what pushed Him to kind actions was His love for people...He valued them because He saw the potential in everyone.
So...there are some thoughts that have been swimming around in my head the past few days. Hopefully these thoughts will turn into actions as I open myself up to God showing me how to be kind, when, and to whom. Maybe I'll be able to share some cool experiences soon!
I'll leave you with some quotes about kindness:
Eric Hoffer:
Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
Abraham Joshua Heschel:
When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.
Albert Schweitzer:
Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.
http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_kindness.html (for more quotes)
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1 comment:
Pamela,
Don't sell yourself short, my dear. You are so kind. You smile when you see a friend. You care for strangers in need.
I realized this week that not only am I trying to be perfect in this life, but righteous. For me, they are 2 different things. Perfect is not messing up, but righteousness is being exactly like Jesus 24/7. As daunting as this task seems, I realized that it starts with Love the Lord your God, and Love your Neighbor. Isn't my God good? It still comes down to simple kindness and love being our constant motive. I'm thinking of you!
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