Kindness & Goodness

SCRIPTURE: 

He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Job 6:14 ESV (Job’s words)

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Proverbs 3:27 ESV (Solomon’s words)

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26 ESV (an oracle the mother of King Lemuel taught him)

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10 ESV (Paul’s words)

But you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Leviticus 19:18 ESV (God’s words, repeated by Jesus as the 2^nd greatest commandment)

THOUGHT: I had a counselor when I was in seminary who taught me a lot. I think I initially went to see him because I have a little ADD and wanted help for managing school, which he delivered together with a lot of encouragement. But it morphed into talking about healing from childhood wounds, uncertainties in calling, big life events, and eventually remarriage. I had been single for almost a decade and was the product of family dysfunction, relational dysfunction, and personal dysfunction. But God had been hard at work in my story, and I had fallen in love with Fred. We’ve been married happily for almost a decade now.

One day, the counselor and I were talking through my insecurities about marriage and he said something I found profound in its simplicity – it has stuck with me through all the years since. He said, “marriage isn’t that hard, you just need to be kind.”

There’s so much truth to that, and if you give the Scriptures above another read through, you’ll see it too. It isn’t just about marriage, it’s about all of life. Be kind to your friends. Give generously when it’s within your power. Teach kindness. Do good to everyone, especially those in the household of faith. Love your neighbor as you love yourself (and as another mentor would say, “who is your closest neighbor? Your spouse!”) And, of course, Jesus pushed the boundary of kindness and goodness further: to our enemies too.

As one who’s been on the receiving end of so much kindness, trust me, the heart responds. God knows this, and uses kindness to lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). What an amazing concept! He woos us with tender words even in the deserts of our own choosing (Hosea 2:14).

I hope you’ll make a little time today and over the weekend to reflect on all the Scripture here. I don’t often include so many references, but I hope you’ll take time to reflect, dwell on, ask for, and practice kindness and goodness. I promise I will too.

PRAYER: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thank you for your kindness toward us. Help us follow your example and practice and teach and live out the kindness, goodness, and love you’ve shown us.