Be kind and compassionate to one another. —Ephesians 4:32
The “random acts of kindness” movement is a powerful commentary on our society. Our lives are so disconnected and so filled with selfish pursuits that we crave those moments when someone breaks out of the norm of self-interest to be kind and considerate toward us.
However, in the type of “random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty” that society commends, the benefactor and the beneficiary generally have little if any awareness of each other’s deepest motivations and needs. Though the momentary connection may put a smile on their faces, the interaction is a paltry “dwarf species” of the rich, God-like type of kindness the Lord wants us to cultivate.1
For a believer, kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that comes from God, is empowered and enabled by God, and is directed by God. When our kindness extends beyond those who deserve or reciprocate our benevolence, that is when we reflect the heart of Him who is “gracious to the ungrateful and evil” (Luke 6:35).
1 Philip D. Kenneson, Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 34.
Make it Personal
What is a creative act of kindness you can commit this week to reflect the kind heart of your Father?