Kindness

My sermon this morning was on the fruit of the Spirit shown in kindness. We suffer a surfeit of kindness in our world, that goes without saying. The saddest truth that came out in the message was that we have allowed the cultural self-sufficiency influence the way that we act toward one another within the body.

This takes countless forms. We refuse help when it offered in kindness from others. We suffer in silence because we do not want to appear weak in the eyes of others. We don’t listen. In the end, we appear little different from the world around us. There is no fruit to harvest.

The spirit nurtures kindness within us because it reflects the character of the One in whose image we are made. God is kind and merciful toward us in our brokenness, taking His tarnished image and cleaning and polishing it so that it can be attractive to others who see it in us. The Spirit moves us then to allow this fruit to be harvested from our lives. As the Father is kind to us, we in turn are to exhibit this same kindness to those within our sphere.

It takes courage to be kind. Ask and you shall receive it in abundance.

(That wonderful sketch is by Kathe Kollwitz)

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