Every day we have opportunity to show kindness to others:
* Letting another motorist get ahead of us
* Leaving a substantial tip with the server
* Shoveling the sidewalk of a neighbor
* Picking up some groceries for a sick friend
* Undertaking a task no one else wants to do
Acts of random (and planned) kindness reverberate in positive directions across our country. “Paying forward” and similar actions instill hope in all of us that goodness and kindness continue to remain important virtues in life.
But why show kindness? What might fuel this good intention? Unfortunately, it isn’t always with the right motive. For some, it’s the desire to be praised. For others, it flows from guilt. And still for others, it grants an upper hand of control on the recipient.
For the follower of Christ, kindness and generosity ought to stem from our love of God and gratitude for what He has done. He loved us while we were unlovely, so ought not we too love those who seem unlovely? We didn’t deserve His kindness, so ought not we too exercise kindness toward those who don’t deserve it? Our Savior modeled it to us, so let’s show it to our world.