Jeff
Bezos, the CEO of Amazon.com, was ten years old when he saw a commercial
stating that every puff a smoker took on a cigarette shortened his or her life
by two minutes. Even back then he was quite a math whiz, so he began adding up
how many minutes a long-time smoker like his grandmother had lost to
cigarettes. To his surprise, Jeff’s grandmother began to cry when he announced
that she had lost sixteen years of her life to smoking.
His grandfather took him aside for a talking
to. To Jeff’s surprise, his grandfather was not angry, nor did he attempt to
punish him. He simply said, “You’ll learn one day that it is much harder to be
kind than to be clever.”
My mentor and quasi adopted Dad, Pastor David
Cummins, taught me a lot of things. His investment helped prepare me for ministry.
One thing he said has always stuck with me and I’ve often shared it with
others. On one occasion he told me, “Scott, I’ve never regretted being too
kind.”
That’s stuck with me for over four decades. I
can attest to the accuracy of those words – I’ve never regretted being too
kind. To be sure, there have been a few times that I have been taken advantage
of and that’s okay. And more than I want to remember, there have been too many
times when I was unkind. Yet, in all of my life, I have never regretted being
too kind.
Kindness is so rare today. We value toughness
and meanness. Rarely, do we value kindness. Our culture emphasizes self-promotion
and achievement rather than being kind and caring for others. Showing kindness
isn’t seen as a priority. It’s often viewed as a weakness. Even for those of us
who believe that kindness is a good thing, we’re so preoccupied with our own
problems and priorities to make time to invest in and show kindness to each other.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of God is His
kindness. Kindness doesn’t line up with our preconceptions of a Supreme being
or the Creator of the universe. We’d expect that He would be powerful and
all-knowing, and maybe even have a mean side. Afterall, many powerful people
that we know are known more for toughness and meanness, not kindness. We
foolishly equate power and even being a leader with toughness and meanness.
Kindness is reserved for Mother Teresa types or Boy Scouts, not those who want
to have power or lead.
A perfect
example of true kindness was the Lord Jesus. Huge crowds followed Him and
traveled miles just to hear Him speak. Healing the sick, feeding the hungry,
teaching the people, caring for the widow, and defending children, Jesus lived
33 years of perfect kindness.
He
doesn’t ask any more of us than what He willingly practiced when He walked this
earth. Even on the cross, He displayed compassionate, merciful kindness
praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Defending the weak, poor, and needy, He stated, “As you did it to one of the
least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Jesus
was perfectly selfless in everything He did. Flowing unceasingly from Him,
kindness was His lifestyle. He took notice of the cause of the needy, intentionally,
and consistently seeking them out, even when He was tired and weary. Without
partiality, He was kind to everyone, even if they didn’t “deserve” it. He
turned no one away. And by the shedding of his blood on the cross, He
demonstrated His love for the entirety of humanity – the ultimate act of
kindness. Christ is the perfect role model of kindness.
Too
many of His professed followers though are unkind. Is it any wonder that those outside
the Church don’t want our faith? If our Christianity hasn’t radically changed
us, what have we got to offer them?
What
does biblical kindness look like? It looks like Jesus. Not for just a
season or one day of the year, kindness is for every moment of every day; it’s
a habit, a lifestyle, a continual practice. It’s intentional, taking time and
patience, a giving of ourselves in “the busy,” even when we’re “too tired.”
Just
being nice for many would be a great starting point. It would entail friendliness,
politeness, personal warmth, thoughtfulness, respectfulness, courtesy, and consideration
of others. It would mean more smiles than scowls, more laughter than anger,
more encouragement than scorn. Most of us could benefit from striving towards the
baby steps of the “nice-ness” level of kindness.
Most of us need to practice kindness so that it
becomes our default setting. There’s no better place to start practicing than
at home. It begins with our words and tones. As we practice kindness and thoughtfulness
with our families, it becomes easier to share when we leave home. Maybe our
motto should be: “Kindness – don’t leave home without it.”
Kindness
can be as simple as a smile (or in our mask times), kind words to a clerk as we
check out. It’s a gentle question, “How are you today?” even with complete strangers.
It’s holding open a door for someone.
It’s
rarely the big things. More often it’s the little acts that are like oil for
smooth relationships. We’ve all experienced them. They warm our hearts, bring a
smile to our face and stick with us all day, sometimes for years.
As
you and I intentionally choose to show kindness, the light of the Lord Jesus
shines out of us to a harsh world in desperate need of our Savior, a generation
in need of love, grace, and kindness. If others talk about us, may it be that
they talk about us being filled with kindness. Please be Jesus to someone today
and every day. Make the Savior your role model and kindness your lifestyle.
Can
we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out
more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at
262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life,
I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My
Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy.
Please include your mailing address.
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