And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

—Ephesians 4:32

To be kind, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means to have a sympathetic or helpful nature. It also indicates gentleness, compassion and affection. Kindness is different than niceness. It goes deeper – it’s a genuine reflection of the heart. Niceness can be helpful, but kindness is a result of a heart in the right place. Mark Twain was once said, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

We are surrounded by God’s kindness every day. Evidence of his kindness shows in our lives, in the Bible and in his character. Jesus set the ultimate example of kindness with his life. Following his example can be difficult, but God calls and equips believers to be kind. With this understanding of how important kindness is to God and in how we interact with the world,

The kindness of God is our starting place for a holistic view of kindness. He made us for community with himself and other people. For any community to thrive, there must be kindness. From God’s loving kindness, we start to understand how securely loved we are by God, and in that security, we can reach out to those we come across who need a reminder of kindness in their lives.

We know God calls Christians to be kind, but sometimes we struggle with knowing what that kindness looks like in everyday life. Where are we supposed to direct our kindness? And to whom? The short answer is to be kind to everyone. Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all.”

If we all did a small act of kindness each day, the world would be a better place. It doesn’t take much to be kind. It can be as simple as holding open a door for someone or picking up something they’ve dropped. Maybe the person behind you in line at the grocery store as significantly fewer groceries than you, and you let them ahead of you in line. The simplest form of kindness is to smile at someone.

Love and encourage people. And always be open to listen. You never know what people are going through and sometimes the people with the biggest smiles are struggling the most, so be kind. That’s why it’s so important to lead with kindness as often as we can. You may never know how much a small act of kindness will affect someone.

P.S. Steve Davis, one of my frequent reader and commenters, reminded me that today is Pentecost,* and I wanted to add a few words about how kindness is an appropriate virtue to celebrate the holiday. Pentecost is described in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” I’ve never fully understood “speaking in tongues” in the modern sense in Holiness and Pentecostal Christianity. What is often described as speaking in tongues never seemed to be a universal language that everyone could understand as described in Acts 2:4. However, I believe what Mark Twain said, “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Kindness is a universal language that everyone can speak and understand, and maybe that is what the Holy Spirit filled the Apostles with on Pentecost.

* Pentecost was never a holiday we observed in the Church of Christ when I was growing up so it did not occur to me to write a post about Pentecost.