And Then There's Kindness

Yesterday I was thinking about compassion, and today it's kindness. They kind of go hand in hand in my mind. Kindness is one of the character traits of Jesus, and if there's someone worth aspiring to be like, it would be Jesus.

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." John 13:3-5

So what is kindness? Kindness is helping that elderly lady get from her car to the grocery store. Kindness is a phone call to someone you haven't seen in a while, checking to see if they're okay. Kindness is seeing something at the store that reminds you of someone, and picking it up for them as a surprise, just because gift. Kindness is going out of your way to make sure that all the guests at your meal have food to eat that meets their dietary restrictions. Kindness can simply be a smile and a genuine "how are you today." Jesus was kind, and love poured out from him as he performed his acts of kindness to those around him.

I was thinking of that this morning as I whipped together some bread dough. I love to make bread, and I've been making a few loaves this week for our upcoming small group. We may have some new friends coming who have dairy and onion allergies, and to be honest, at first I was a little dismayed at the thought of coming up with menu items they can eat. But the more I thought about it, and the more I spent in my Bible this week, the more I began to enjoy the process. I took great care in selecting a menu that our friends would be able to eat. And when I realized my usual bread dough had milk in it, I decided to make a different version. It's much more difficult to make, but it's going to be so worth it in the end.

It can't hurt to show a little kindness in your life. To be more like Jesus is something worth striving for every single day, and if one of the things you can do to be more Christ-like is to show a little kindness, don't you think that is worthy of doing? Show a little kindness today, it could go a long way in lifting someone's spirits.