1 Corinthians 13:4

“...love is kind...” -1 Corinthians 13:4

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Kindness is in short supply these days.  It is especially in short supply in the public discourse.  There’s a lot of talk these days about justice and fighting for justice.  There’s a lot of talk these days about the importance of racial reconciliation and gender equality.  There’s a lot of talk these days about  climate change.  But those discussion oftentimes filled with negativity and meanness.

As Christians we are called to engage everyone with kindness, even those who don’t agree with us—especially those who don’t agree with us.

Jesus displayed the ultimate kindness on the Cross.  The pastor from the 1800s named Octavius Winslow wrote this:

“So completely was Jesus bent upon saving sinners by the sacrifice of Himself, He created the tree upon which He was to die, and nurtured from infancy the men who were to nail Him to the accursed wood.”

If anyone should be angry and filled with negativity, it would be Jesus.  He made the very people who cried out “Crucify him!” and condemned him to death.  Yet, his prayer was of kindness.  He prayed to God, the Father, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

We need Jesus’ kindness in our lives and in the way we live our lives.  People won’t be changed by being yelled out and called names.  They will only be transformed by the way we love them.

Are you kind on social media?  Are you kind in what you’re posting on your Insta stories?  Are you kind in the way you defend what you believe or support?

Love is kind.