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| Photo by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash |
"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS..."
The word "kind" gets used a lot these days - as a passing comment; a general attribute; but it never seems to be placed on a pedestal.
Yet, it's expected; a general quality that any 'good' human being should possess. Kindness, on first glance, seems like a given. However, this fruit of the spirit has challenged me. It's something I've wrestled with over the past few weeks. Because, in its essence, kindness is the opposite of what the world is telling us to be.
We live in a culture where we're taught to succeed; to put ourselves first; to care about striving and to have our way. To fight for our rights, our beliefs, our gender. But kindness doesn't care about fighting to be at the top. In its gentle way, kindness turns everything on its head - just as God tends to do. And interestingly, throughout the Old Testament, there are countless stories where kindness is the turning point - that brings peace, saves lives, changes the future.
Kindness, I'm learning, often means sacrifice. And these acts are rarely acknowledged or accepted by the world. It's stepping out to do the things that nobody really wants to do; that extra bit of washing up; letting someone else go in front of you in the queue; being perfectly pleasant to the cold-caller; continually saying yes to the requests of others, rather than no.
Being kindness is not a glamorous attribute; or one that will raise you into the spheres of greatness; it's simply stepping outside of your regular existence to serve others; to sacrifice your needs for another. In fact, kindness can actually mean being a bit of a doormat. And in a world that values the independent fighting spirit, the gift of kindness is outrageously sacrificial and countercultural.
So, just like the other fruits of the spirit, the supernatural gift of kindness requires us to lose our priorities and hold onto God's; to trust that what we do does not have to be celebrated or rewarded by our peers. It's looking beyond the rewards of the world and reminding ourselves of something bigger.
As I've attempted to practice what I'm preaching, I've been frustrated at the additional time kindness has taken. I've been challenged by how my actions have placed me in boxes I'm normally fighting to get out of. True kindness is an ongoing challenge that requires true humility: a quality, more often than not, I find myself lacking.
So, as I reach the middle of my fruits of the spirit challenge, I'm also reaching the heart of what this list in Galatians is really all about. It's depending on God and caring for others: two very big things that rarely take priority.
And in the middle of this list is the fruit of kindness: a challenge for the heart.
This is the sixth blog in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Follow the series by the label "The Gifts"
Yet, it's expected; a general quality that any 'good' human being should possess. Kindness, on first glance, seems like a given. However, this fruit of the spirit has challenged me. It's something I've wrestled with over the past few weeks. Because, in its essence, kindness is the opposite of what the world is telling us to be.
We live in a culture where we're taught to succeed; to put ourselves first; to care about striving and to have our way. To fight for our rights, our beliefs, our gender. But kindness doesn't care about fighting to be at the top. In its gentle way, kindness turns everything on its head - just as God tends to do. And interestingly, throughout the Old Testament, there are countless stories where kindness is the turning point - that brings peace, saves lives, changes the future.
Kindness, I'm learning, often means sacrifice. And these acts are rarely acknowledged or accepted by the world. It's stepping out to do the things that nobody really wants to do; that extra bit of washing up; letting someone else go in front of you in the queue; being perfectly pleasant to the cold-caller; continually saying yes to the requests of others, rather than no.
Being kindness is not a glamorous attribute; or one that will raise you into the spheres of greatness; it's simply stepping outside of your regular existence to serve others; to sacrifice your needs for another. In fact, kindness can actually mean being a bit of a doormat. And in a world that values the independent fighting spirit, the gift of kindness is outrageously sacrificial and countercultural.
So, just like the other fruits of the spirit, the supernatural gift of kindness requires us to lose our priorities and hold onto God's; to trust that what we do does not have to be celebrated or rewarded by our peers. It's looking beyond the rewards of the world and reminding ourselves of something bigger.
As I've attempted to practice what I'm preaching, I've been frustrated at the additional time kindness has taken. I've been challenged by how my actions have placed me in boxes I'm normally fighting to get out of. True kindness is an ongoing challenge that requires true humility: a quality, more often than not, I find myself lacking.
So, as I reach the middle of my fruits of the spirit challenge, I'm also reaching the heart of what this list in Galatians is really all about. It's depending on God and caring for others: two very big things that rarely take priority.
And in the middle of this list is the fruit of kindness: a challenge for the heart.
This is the sixth blog in a series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Follow the series by the label "The Gifts"
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