Be Kind
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
As I scrolled through Facebook, I came across a news clip about two Philadelphia fans - a ten-year-old boy and a seven-year-old little girl. If I understand it right, during the game, a ball hit the ground and both children ran to get it. The little boy was faster and got to the ball first. As he was showing off and celebrating his souvenir ball, he turned to see the little girl crying and overheard her telling her parents that he was too fast and got to the ball first. The little boy, without any hesitation, went directly to her and gave her the ball. When interviewed by the reporter, the little boy said he didn’t want her to cry and then said this, “’ Be nice to people because not a lot of people in this world are nice.”
“As Christian, we have a choice to make each day. We can choose to live according to the Spirit; or live pleasing our flesh. ”
When my kids were growing up and had friends over to play, I always used to say to them, “play nice – be nice to each other.” Sometimes the words would sink in and they actually did play well together; and, well other times, kids were kids and needed adult intervention to help them out.
And here we are thousands of years later, continuing to see the effects of sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, all of man has been born with a sin nature. This sinful nature causes us to live for ourselves first rather than for others. Think about it, we don’t have to teach children to lie. We don’t have to teach them to be selfish with their toys. It is that old nature inbred in man. But thank God, because of His mercy, He gave us free will to choose Jesus as our Savior, or continue living as we are.
As Christian, we have a choice to make each day. We can choose to live according to the Spirit; or live pleasing our flesh. Paul wrote the instructions to the Ephesians regarding their new life in Christ and their behavior as Christian. Paul reminded them to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave them. In Colossians 3:12, Paul said, “…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
The words written by Paul were not just for Bible days, but they ring ever so loudly for us today. We have heard the phrase, “Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” The truth is all of us are fighting some sort of battle. We see people at school, on the job, in the store, and even at church that are struggling to overcome fear, anxiety, heartache and grief--people who need a kind word, a smile, or a hug.
What would happen if every morning we prayed, “Lord help me to speak a message of hope and to spread kindness to everyone in my path today?” It will require us to slow down to see those that are hurting. But! If we will reflect on the grace and gentleness extended to us by our Savior and His kindness that led us to repentance, how can we not help but seek to speak words of life into the hearts of others?
Jesus taught the disciples that their worth to God was more than the sparrows – and Jesus said that God does not forget the sparrow. Jesus then went on to say that God knows the number of hairs on each head.