Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. Proverbs 11:17

Recently, we arrived home on a late-night flight and ordered a taxi. The darkness and crowds made it hard to find our taxi. Then an airport personnel member appeared. What a relief! She read the phone order, motioned us to follow, and in a minute she told the cab driver we were his passengers. I believe God sent that lady to us that night, and I am so grateful for His kindness using her.

Throughout my life, I’ve learned the value of kind people. Surprisingly, some of the value came from cruel people. Note to self: “Do the opposite of that.”

For instance, once working as a teacher in a daycare setting, the owner appreciated none of us, and morale was low and getting lower. Before Christmas, we learned we would all receive a bonus before we left for the holiday. We had to go individually to the office to accept it, and to my dismay, a $5 bill was in the envelope handed to me. Now, I don’t know what I or the others expected, but that gesture said more to me about the owner than it did about me. It was unkind and demeaning. I don’t recall a morale boost with the workers.

My article today will tell what I believe are some traits of a kind person, our call to kindness, and God’s kindness toward us.

Every Christian, because of the Fruit of the Spirit, has the fruit of kindness, In our confused world, it is easy to make kindness about us. Will we receive appreciation?

Ultimately, I believe kind people have experienced the kindness of God and desire to pass it on. Examples of the kindness of God are found in John 3:16 and Romans 5:8, and more. Those in Christ are called to be kind.

People who don’t know Him are motivated to DO good works, to do a good deed, or earn some merit toward heaven by doing something. That’s not kindness. Kindness glorifies Jesus.

Over the years, the impact of kindness toward me has taken many forms—the list below is only a few examples. Please leave a comment on ways you’ve experienced kindness.

10 Characteristics of a Kind Person(in no particular order):

• A kind person cares for you and may challenge a choice you are going to make.
• A kind person sees your situation and gives you the help you need.
• A kind person values your relationship with God and wants to see you grow.
• A kind person is respectful.
• A kind person has a gentleness about them, and their presence gives support.
• A kind person’s thoughtfulness brings out the best in you.
• A kind person accepts a request for help from you without making you feel bad about it.
• A kind person does a needed task without being told.
• A kind person has your best interests at heart and can speak the truth to you.
• A kind person seems to know what to do at critical times in life to bring relief.

What do you think makes a kind person? A story in Genesis chapter 24 shows God’s kindness. It is about Abraham’s senior servant. Abraham has sent the servant to his home country to find a wife for Isaac. When the servant arrives, before he takes action, he prays,

¹² “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this, I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”¹⁵ Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.“

The servant had a Spirit-led list of specific items he desired to happen in a few moments. If you keep reading the biblical story, you will know that every detail happened!

The story is bursting with kindness from everyone involved. It shows me that God is kind and that He desires to show kindness to faithful people who are willing to do the tasks He gives them.

Is He kind to those who don’t follow in His way? Sure. He wakes everyone up every morning and lets everyone have a sunrise and a sunset, the breath of life, and plenty of goodness. But I believe when you belong to Him by faith in His Son, then you are special. You belong to Him. He is your Father, and you are His child. If you are in step with Him (Galatians 5:25), then you will see His kindness. You will depend on it.

I believe when we experience God’s kindness, it makes us kind. Why do we need to be kind? Because we represent the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and He has work for each of us to do every day! We are His ambassadors in the darkness (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Is kindness one of those things you either have or you don’t? Based on Galatians 5, every Christian has it. Fruit needs cultivation. It needs picking. It needs washing. It needs to be eaten before it rots. So how can we produce more kindness in our lives?

Ways to Produce Kindness:

1. Cultivate it – You must take care of your own soil to produce good fruit. Mainly, that is what Jesus discusses in John 15.
2. Pick it – It is useless left on the vine. Abide in the VINE, then give kindness away for Jesus’ sake.
3. Wash it – Spend time regularly with Jesus. Wash off all the dirt of poor viewing habits, poor reading content, or coarse speech. In other words, care for your mind, and it will guard your heart and produce a pure heart.
4. Eat it– Use your kindness, but not in an artificial, forced way. Ask the Lord to make you kind.

Let go of the mindset of doing “acts of kindness”. The Bible says to be kind, particularly to those in the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Be a kind person. To BE means we are in Christ, relying on, and cooperating with His power at work in us.

God is kind. We look most like Him when we are kind. It is a lifelong pursuit that is often required when we least feel like it.

I encourage you to think of how kind Jesus is to you. It is hard, depending on your circumstances, but it pleases the Lord, and He is with you.

LEAVE A ❤️ in the comments if you’ve known God’s kindness.

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Colossians 3:12

©Valerie Rumfelt

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