We often think of kindness as a single act. You know, a single act of kindness, but what if we thought of it as a lifestyle.
The bible tells us that we should clothe ourselves in kindness rather than doing something kind now and then.
With kindness being one of the fruits of the spirits, if you are living according to the word of God, then kindness will be a fruit that grows out of your life.
Now, what if you start thinking of kindness instead of action but more of a lifestyle.
Let us look at Colossians 3:12
Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
This verse says we are supposed to clothe ourselves in kindness. When you get dressed for the day, do you just put clothes on long enough till someone sees them then take them off? No, you don’t. So why do we treat kindness as an action and not a lifestyle?
Do you think it is possible to clothe yourself in kindness and wear it all day? Of course, it is, and I'm going to tell you three ways you can keep kindness wrapped around you all day.
Kindness with your words:
It's effortless to be unkind with your words. The term I don't have a filter comes to mind. Does any one of you know what that means?
Right, so when we speak without thinking first, we can say some unkind words we will most likely regret later.
But there is a fix to this. Thinking before you speak or apply that filter will help you say kind words to other people, even if you don't want to.
Now that may sound complicated, but it's not. All you need to do is ask yourself this question. Are these kind words?
The following way to keep kindness wrapped around you is by your actions
Kindness with your actions:
Not only should your words be kind, but your actions. Now, this may be a "duh" moment for you, but the steps you take or don't take are also necessary.
With everyday life, kindness can quickly go out the window, and selfishness can set in because of the convivence. Why? Kind actions aren't convenient; it's easier to be selfish. So, when you go about the rest of this week and into next week, take time to make sure your actions are kind purposefully.
The third and final way is by your attitude
Kindness with your mood:
This one is a little tricky because how many of you struggle to have a kind attitude all the time?
When someone is getting on your nerves, is your attitude kind to them? No, it's not.
What about when someone is unkind to you? Or something doesn't go the way you wanted it. Your attitude is kind.
There is one person and only one person that has control over your attitude, and that's you. So, take control of it. When a situation happens, that makes you feel irritated, selfish, or any other kind of emotion, take a step back and take a deep breath and choose to react in kindness.
If you are struggling with this, ask God to help you when you feel yourself struggling to have a kind attitude. Pray, ask him for help. Use that app Pastor Dave showed us this past Sunday and while you are taking that step back, ask God to help you have more kindness in your heart and less whatever else is going on. God loves you and wants to help you. So, ask!!
Before we wrap up and go to small groups, let's look at this verse
Job 6:14 “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”
In this verse, fear doesn’t mean to cower in the corner, terrified. It means to revere or to respect.
What it means is withholding kindness from a friend forsaking the fear of God. In other words, if you aren’t kind to the ones around you, you are disrespecting God. Not too good, right.
That's how important kindness is to God; it's so essential that his word says that withholding kindness from a friend is withholding fear and respect for God.
But what if you’re around someone that treats you negatively?
Well, I always think of this Quote. Does anyone know what it is?
Kill your enemy with kindness.
What does that mean exactly? Well, to me, it means that even though they are being mean to me, I'm not going to fuel their fire towards me. Because here is the thing you may not know what their home life is. Maybe that individual is having a bad day and doesn't know how to act when they get frustrated and lash out. So many things could be happening with that individual.
Here is another thing I want you to think about; I'm not sure how many of you heard this saying, but it goes like this. "You may be the only part of Jesus that someone ever sees?"
What do you think that saying means?
It means there may be some people in your life that never go to church or open a bible, so you are the only exposure to Jesus that they have.
There may also be someone in your life that thinks Jesus is mean or scary because they were never introduced to him. So, you may be the only example of his kindness they see. That's a big responsibility we as Christians have.