Kindness: A Recipe for a Better World

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus.

If you have siblings, you probably hear the phrase “Be kind!” pretty often at your house. It’s so hard to be kind, right? Even if you’re kind one minute, the next minute you might forget and say something really unkind. But that’s not the way you want to live!

As Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph talk about the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians chapter 5, they’ve reached the fifth one, kindness. They’re gonna look at what the Bible says about it and how we can learn to be more kind. But first, they’re making breakfast, and it’s not getting off to a great start!

Here they are for Season 15, Episode 6, called “Kindness: A Recipe for a Better World.” 

Staci Rudolph: I hope this blueberry bun-cle is gonna be good, Dannah, ‘cause it better be worth getting up early for!

Dannah Gresh: Buckle! Blueberry buckle, Staci. That basically means coffeecake. I’m pretty sure you’ll think it's amazing!

Staci: Okay . . . Alright, I’m ready to put those blueberries in the batter.

Dannah: I’ll bring them over in this cloth. [cloth spills and most of the blueberries fall] Oh no!

Staci: Dannah! They’re rolling under the stove!

Dannah: Here, let’s put them in this bowl. Watch out, don’t step on any!

Staci: There goes another one rolling away.

Dannah: Okay, is that all of them?

Staci: I think so.

Dannah: They’d just gotten dry after I washed them, bummer! Let's wash them again!

Staci: Well, your floor seems pretty clean. I think the thirty-second rule applies here.

Dannah: Staci, it’s the five-second rule, and let's not risk it.

Staci: Okay, if you want. Or, is it the ten-second rule where you can still pick up food off the floor and eat it? Well, anyway . . .

[water running]

Dannah: There, I think that’s good enough.

Staci: Thanks! 

Alright, pour it in the pan, oven’s already on, that’s good. Here, it’s ready for the topping. Thirty-five minutes, right?

Dannah: I think we better start with twenty-five. I always like to check it sooner just in case it bakes quickly.

Staci: That’s probably smart.

Dannah: While that’s baking, let’s sit by the box window and watch the snow. It’s so beautiful!

Staci: It sure is. I just hope it stops before I have to leave. I’d rather not have a huge hassle getting home!

Dannah: Very true.

What’s our fruit of the Spirit today, Staci?

Staci: Uh, I think we better read our verses to remind ourselves.

Dannah: Okay.

Staci: It’s Galatians chapter 5, verses 22–23. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

We talked about patience last time, so we must be on kindness.

Dannah: Ah, that’s right. And welcome True Girl to my kitchen. I think you know what kindness is.

Staci: Yeah. It’s just about the first thing our parents try to teach us when we’re little.

Dannah: “Be kind; don’t hit your sister.”

Staci: “Be kind; you can share the best seat in the car.”

Dannah: “Be kind; don’t flip out when your brother accidentally steps on your toes.”

Staci: Yeah, I think we all have heard things like that quite a bit, but kindness is more just doing nice things, right?

Dannah: You’re right, it’s a heart attitude. And actually, I’m gonna give us a peek into the next episode and say that kindness and goodness (the next fruit of the Spirit on the list) are similar, but not quite the same. 

Staci: Right.

Dannah: But both of them are more than just “being nice.” Kindness is having the same kind of attitude toward other people that God has for us—which means caring for them, feeling sad when they’re sad or hurting and happy when they’re happy. 

Goodness means choosing what is right and doing what is best for others, even if it isn’t the most fun for either of you. It’s an action word. We’ll talk more about that next time. 

Staci: Yeah, I think we’re gonna need to.

Dannah: It is a little confusing! But today we are going to focus on kindness—kindness with your words and actions and your attitude. Thankfully, our parents help us learn kind actions, but hopefully along the way, we have kind hearts too.

Staci: Okay, so what makes biblical kindness different? How do Christian express kindness in a way the rest of the world does not? I mean, I think everybody agrees that it’s good to be kind, even if they don’t believe in Jesus.

Dannah: That’s true. I think one reason for that is because God made everyone with a basic knowledge of right and wrong. So that means when people are kind, they feel good. It feels right. Things tend to go better when people are nice to each other. And of course, we want other people to be kind to us .

Staci: I’m sure glad people can be kind even when they don’t believe in Jesus!

Dannah: Yeah, me too.

But, just like all the other parts of the fruit of the Spirit, the kindness that children of God have is different because it is a result of God’s Spirit in us! Remember that?

Staci: Course I do. We say it practically every week!

Dannah: Another thing I think that’s different for Christians is that we know how kind God is to us, how much He cares about us, even though we don’t deserve it. And that changes how we think about God and other people.

Staci: I see.

Dannah: The Bible talks a lot about God’s kindness to us. I won’t have time to read all the Bible verses that talk about it!

Staci: Okay, well, give us at least a couple.

Dannah: Of course the Psalms talk about it pretty often. One is Psalm 145, verse 17. Want to read it, Staci?

Staci: Sure. David says, “The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.” Short and sweet.

Dannah: Yep, that one’s easy. God is kind to everybody just by creating us, giving us a beautiful world to live in, and giving us air to breathe—Hr'd kind because He cares about us. 

But God also showed a special kindness to His special people, the Israelites. Let me read Hosea chapter 11, verse 4. Here God is talking about how the Israelites forgot Him even after everything He had done for them. And he said, 

I led Israel along
   with my ropes of kindness and love.
I lifted the yoke from his neck,
   and I myself stooped to feed him.

Hmm. I just love that! Did you ever see a kindergarten class on a field trip in a city? They often have a rope . . . 

Staci: . . . oh yes, and the teacher holds the front and each of them holds on so they don’t get lost!

Dannah: Yes. This verse tells us that when the Israelites were in the desert looking for their forever home, Jerusalem, that kindness and love were like a rope God used to lead them.

Staci: Just like that kindergarten teacher!

Dannah: Isn’t that a sweet picture? And it’s practical, too. Because the verse says He stooped down to feed them. 

Staci: And the cool thing is that God shows that same kindness to people who aren’t Israelites, by bringing them into His family!

Let me share a verse, Titus chapter 3. In this chapter the apostle Paul talks about how we were disobedient and evil. I mean, straight up badly behaved. Then he says in verse 4: 

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us.

God died for us to save us . . . out of His kindness and love. There’s that same two words used about the Israelites rope.

Dannah: Love that!

Staci: And here in Titus it goes on to say how it wasn’t because of good things we did but because He loved us. And that means that those who believe in Him become God’s children and will live with Him forever.

Wow. I’ve known that since seven. I understood that God loved me so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, that He was buried, and He rose on the third day all so I could have eternal life and be with God and have my sins forgiven. 

But it was God’s kindness in that moment that revealed that to me, that saved me. I never get tired of remembering that.

Dannah: And I hope you never, ever will!

True Girl, do you remember a time in your life that you experienced the kindness of the salvation of Jesus? That His kindness revealed things to that you needed to confess to Him. If you do, pause the podcast and remember it with your mom or the adult you’re with. Do it right after this podcast. It’s so good to remember that moment when you acceptecd the forgiveness of Jesus—His kindness.

If you don’t remember a time like that, talk about that. Maybe it’s time for you to learn more about the salvation of Jesus. We’d love for you to talk to your mom or another adult about that!

Now, experiencing the saving power of Jesus is where kindness begins. At that moment when you accepted Jesus, the Holy Spirit began to lead you. Now remember, all these fruits of the Spirit are the result of His presence in our lives.

Staci: Exactly! Like we’ve already said, because Jesus died for us, when He didn’t have to, that was the greatest kindness. And out of gratitude, we want to act the same way toward others, with God’s help. We want to be kind, too. And we see this in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32. Let me read it.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Dannah: There you have it. Because God forgave us—which was a very kind thing to do—we should forgive others—and that is also very kind. 

Staci: It is. And it’s sort of how kindness is unique to us as believers. Sure, we do kind things for people, but ultimately biblical kindness is overlooking offenses—like when your brother steps on your toes. Or saying to a friend who hurt you, “It’s okay! All is forgiven.” That’s the kind of kindness Jesus showed. And through the power of God’s Spirit, we want to show that kind of kindness to the world. 

Dannah: Exactly.

Of course, it’s usually pretty easy to be kind to your best friend or someone else who’s nice to you. I mean, if she asks you to help her clean her room, you probably will!

Staci: Right.

But it’s really not easy to be kind to someone who isn’t kind to you. Like if someone makes fun of you, you want to make fun back. 

Dannah: Well, I think you know what the Bible says about that, right, Staci?

Staci: Yeah. Romans chapter 12 says it pretty clearly:

Never pay back evil with more evil. (v. 17)

And then it goes on to tell us if we have an enemy who is “thirsty, give them something to drink” (v. 20).

And the best part of the chapter:

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (v. 21)

Dannah: That’s sort of a powerful way of saying, “Be kind,” even when people are not. And you know what? If you do good to people who are mean to you, sometimes they feel bad and want to be kind in return.

Staci: Sometimes. They might not, but I have seen it happen.

Dannah: Oh, let me tell about a time that started when the True Girl team was in Canada for an event.

Staci: It’s pretty amazing that the team gets to travel outside the U.S. to share God’s love with tween girls.

Dannah: Yeah, we do live events in the United States, Dominican Republic, and some other Latin American nations! In fact, hit the True Girl website at MyTrueGirl.com sometime to find out if we’re going to be in a city near you.

But this time we were in Canada. We had just wrapped up our event and were excited to come home.

It was 2:00 in the morning, and we were all so tired, but we all had to get up out of the bunk beds in the tour bus, find our international passports, and let the security officer at the border check them. Well, he must have been as tired as we were because, let’s just say, he did not display kindness. 

One of our pieces of paper wasn’t quite right. A guy on the bus named Christian Smith forgot to sign his passport. It was brand new! 

Christian stood there while the security guard asked questions.

“Mr. Smith, have you ever had a passport?”
“Mr. Smith, do you know how to sign your name?”
“What’s your job on that bus, Mr. Smith?”
“Why was that bus in Canada, Mr. Smith?”
“How old are you, Mr. Smith?”

The rest of us tried to help answer the questions, but that made the guard more angry. He wanted Christian to answer. But the problem was, Christian didn’t know all the answers.

But in that moment, I saw the power of kindness. Christian lived up to his name. He answered with kindness. He told the man, “We are Christians, and we love Jesus. We’ve been in Canada telling girls about His love. I’m sorry I didn’t sign my passport. You are right, that wasn’t good. Thanks for doing your job so carefully!”

Staci: Well, that was kind!

Dannah: It was! And guess what? It was so kind that the guard started to be nicer. 

He let Christian sign his passport in front of all of us. And He said he would look into the piece of missing paper work tomorrow, and we could go!

Staci: I wonder, Do you think that guy remembered the love of Jesus. The name of Jesus?

Dannah: To this day I think of him often, and I hope and pray so!

Staci: True Girl, it can be tempting to be mad at someone who is an unkind person, but instead, pray. Ask God’s Spirit to help you be kind.

Dannah: That’s right, Staci! [timer beeping]

Staci: Oh, I’ll check it! Ya know, if there’s someone in your life who hasn’t been the kindest, you could bake them a cake. Kind of like that verse we talked about . . . take your enemies some water . . . or the Staci Standard Version . . . bake your enemies some blueberry bun-cle cake.

Dannah: BUCKLE, Staci, buckle!

Staci: What’d I say!?

Claire: Dannah and Staci are making me hungry! That blueberry buckle sounds delicious.

I like Staci’s song, too. It’s a great reminder of why we’re told to be kind—because God is kind to us. Dannah and Staci read a lot of other Bible verses today as well. Maybe you and your mom could go back and read through those passages together. Your mom can find the transcript of this episode by going to ReviveOurHearts.com. The episode is called “Kindness: A Recipe for a Better World.”

That’s also where you’ll find today’s recipe for blueberry buckle! I hope you’ll have a fun time with your mom making it. Again, that website is ReviveOurHearts.com.

Want to know how to live a life that shines with God's goodness? In the next episode, we’re going to show you how God can fill your heart with goodness and how being good isn’t just about following the rules—it’s about reflecting God’s love in everything you do! Come back for that.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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Blueberry Buckle

Recipe from A Taste of the Lodge, ⓒ 2019, Life Action Ministries.

2 cups flour

¾ cups sugar

2½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg, room temperature

¾ cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg, milk, and melted butter, being careful not to cook the eggs. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. (If using frozen blueberries, dredge them in ¼ cup of flour before adding to the batter.) 

Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over batter.

Bake 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake!

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