“And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” II Timothy 2:24
My niece and her husband are a single team Youth Force. They recently packed up their truck with a saw and sawhorses and made the 110-mile trek from their home in Jones to my home in Duncan. The sole purpose of that trip was to rebuild my small back porch. We had so much fun together as we visited the lumber store, tearing down the old porch, measuring, cutting and installing the new porch. What a joy to see such an immeasurable improvement in my home, and to know that my family went to all this work out of love for me.
When you are a recipient of kindness, you realize that one single act of kindness spreads into your entire life. Whether it is the act itself or the result of the act, kindness changes everything for the better. It can give you hope, and that’s a gift beyond compare. Sometimes all it takes to be kind is just listening to someone tell their story, talk about what is on their hearts, or communicate a concern not for the sake of an answer but just for the opportunity to voice it out loud. It could be as simple as holding a door with a smile to someone who never expected to be noticed at all.
Kindness feels so good, for both the giver and the receiver that we want it to last forever. Kindness feels like love. Kindness feels like gentleness and forgiveness and acceptance. Starting with small acts of kindness (like holding a door) and working up to kindnesses that challenge us (like traveling to Honduras on a mission trip) could be ‘The One Thing’ that begins our transformation into the person God created us to be.
Sue Gibbons, Administrative Assistant, Worship Team
