Kindness
The words Paul uses here “chrestotes”, like several of the words
in his list, could be translated in a number of ways. At its root, it is about
giving people what they need, and that’s not a bad way of thinking about
kindness. We need to be observant to be truly kind, to notice people and treat
them as equal to ourselves, deserving of our respect and generosity. Otherwise
the “kindness” we think we are showing may be simply patronising, assuming we know
what they need more than they do.
In the Bible, kindness is an
important attribute of God, though often this word, and its Hebrew equivalents
are translated as “good” or “generous”, so we may miss this. “Taste and see that the Lord is kind”
says Psalm 34.8 (more often translated “good”), “happy are those who take refuge in him.” Why? Because “those who seek the Lord lack no good
thing.” He gives us what we need.
In the Gospels, Jesus tells of a
vineyard owner who pays all his workers the same wage, a denarius, no matter
how long or short a time they worked for him. Those who had worked longer were
angry, but the denarius was the usual daily wage, enough to support someone and
their family for a day. It matters more to the owner that everyone has enough
to eat at the end of the day than what his workers think of him. It is more
important to him to be kind than it is to be popular. (Matthew 20.1-16)
·
When can you remember someone being kind to you?
·
What does it feel like when someone is
unexpectedly kind?
·
Pray:
that God will show you where you could do a kindness today.
No comments:
Post a Comment