Thursday, October 7, 2010

Kindness

It is a harsh place, the world.  Kindness is an attractive salve.

Kindness is not weak.  It is easy to be harsh, mean and selfish.  Weakness breeds those characteristics.  It takes strength, humility and selflessness to be kind.

Kindness is cheerful—it does not scowl or frown.
Kindness gives without measuring a return.
Kindness smiles on those people in those situations the rest of the world would choose to ignore.

Being kind takes an act of the will.  To give up my feeling of grumpiness, my thoughts of revenge, my demand to be treated fairly.

Kindness withholds no. good. thing!  From any one!  No matter my perception of their worthiness!

Being kind will cost me more than I want to pay sometimes.

For a gentle sounding word—it is any thing but in its agenda!

Kindness kills harsh words, hard hearts and bitter thoughts.
Kindness eliminates selfishness.
Kindness destroys individualism—separateness from others.

Kindness gives God room to work and restore.

To be kind is to allow misfortunes of others dignity.

Kindness is a salve to brokenness—a bandage to bleeding wounds.
Kindness is the epitome of beauty walked out in choice words and deliberate actions.
Kindness. pleases. God!

“Be kind one to another, tender-hearted....” Ephesians 4:32a (NAS)
“Be gentle with one another, sensitive....” (The Message)

A simple verse I’ve taught my children since they were little.  But what ingredient is missing in my home today?  Kindness towards one another.  How pleasing that must be to our adversary.

Walking in kindness myself will cultivate it.  Cultivating kindness will lead to reaping it.  And in reaping kindness, our family’s harvest will reach and feed many others hungry for God’s love!

There is a softness to kindness that this hard world needs—my own heart needs.  A soft, pliable heart is kind.  A harsh, stern heart is hard, unbending, uncaring and unmoved by the pain of others.

Join me in cultivating kindness, not hardness, in the softened heart grace has given you!