July 17- A random act of kindness
Kindness is a virtue that spans the globe as gleaned from sayings of Confuscious, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Mother Theresa, to name just a few. A quick internet search turns up numerous quotations from a wide variety of people and cultures. Yet I could not find one quote from Jesus Christ. It was as if He didn't exist, or someone with a liberal bent couldn't admit that He had anything worthwhile saying on the subject of kindness.
Jesus had so much compassion that He couldn't help but practice random acts of kindness. Whether it was healing the blind, raising the lame, opening the ears of the deaf, or cleansing skin from leprosy, Jesus did it because He loved and had compassion.He had compassion on the crowds who walked miles to hear Him teach, so He performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. He had compassion on the woman who touched the hem of His robe. He had compassion on Mary and Martha when He raised Lazarus from the dead.
I got both sad and upset in my search. Even if you don't believe He is the son of God, He had some awesome things to say about kindness. Actually, He didn't have to say anything at all---all you had to do was observe His actions. We are to imitate Him. We are to reflect His light onto the world. We are to love our enemies.
I think of myself as a kind and giving person. I sent a booklet to my mother because I knew she would enjoy it. I took the time to post feedback on an eBay purchase. (Being a seller, I know how I feel when people don't give me feedback.) I let my husband have more of the fan than I take for myself---in this heat, that is true love. I crochet blanket squares for Wrapped in Love memory blankets. I volunteer. I'm kind to animals. I call someone when I know they need to hear a kind voice. I take food to the ill.
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| One of the memory blankets being assembled for Wrapped In Love |
But I can't think of anything truly random that I've done recently. And if I have to think about it, it's not random, is it? I read in another blogger's post that a lot of what we do as acts of kindness are really just acts of courtesy.And I agree. Greeting someone, smiling at the clerk, holding a door for someone who is struggling. These are acts of civility. I just wonder, where do we draw the line between courtesy and kindness?
Excellent post...and very thought-provoking. That's interesting that you couldn't find a quote that Jesus said that spoke to kindness directly. That really surprised me too because of the exemplary life he led.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think the way that Jesus communicated the importance of kindness was through words like "love" or through stories/parables that demonstrated how he valued kindness.
The one thing that comes to mind when I think of how Jesus felt about kindness is this quote of his:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12)
Even though it doesn't specifically speak to being kind, I think the essence of what he is trying to say is to be kind...thoughtful...respectful - all the ways that we ourselves want to be treated.
:)
Thank you for your kind comment. I agree that loving others as ourselves is the basis for kindness.
DeleteI just wanted to say thank you for this post. It gives me some things to think about...
ReplyDeleteOh good, I'm glad to give you food for thought. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note.
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