2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Numbers 11-12 GW; 2 Timothy 2 GW
Jesus is kind.
Reading through the ministry of Jesus is a testimony to kindness. The warmth of His smile as He looks upon the hurting of this world has no malice. When people came to Jesus, He stopped and listened. Jesus was interruptable and approachable because He was kind. Think about who you turn to for help, is it the mean, grumpy person or the loving, welcoming person?
My Aunt Margie was the most welcoming person I ever knew. Anytime life threw me a curveball, I couldn’t wait to find her loving embrace. She modeled Jesus well. Kindness was her calling card. Everyone who met her loved her. Yet her life was not easy; she suffered much pain during her time here on earth. My aunt found victory over pain, beauty from ashes, in Jesus. Her success evident in her loving-kindness of all she met.
Jesus came to earth on a mission of love. One expression of His deep passion for us is His kindness. Jesus knew the meaning of the adage, “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
Love is kind.
When Paul begins his definition of love in his letter to the Corinthians, “kind” comes second after patient (1 Cor. 13:4 ESV). People avoid mean, nasty people; they flock to kind ones. Take time today to have an honest chat with yourself. Think about the people you’ve interacted with over the past couple of days. Objectively ask yourself, was I more honey or more vinegar?
Father James Martin, in this video, outlines three ways we can put kindness into practice:
- Don’t be a jerk (Don’t pass along your misery to someone else.)
- Honor the absent (Don’t talk about people behind their backs. Share something honorable about them instead.)
- “Always give others the benefit of the doubt.” Ignacius
Follow Jesus’s example. Be kind.
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Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your supreme kindness. Sending Jesus is the utmost of gifts. Forgive us, Lord, for not recognizing what You do for us. Help us to become more sensitive to Your Spirit as we make kindness a way of life. Today, let us not be a jerk. Help us to honor the absent, and let us always give others the benefit of the doubt. Only with You can we make kindness a reality in our lives. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
Who have you been more vinegar than honey to lately?