Be Kind: Put On Your Kindness Hat!
We live in such a polarized world these days. Even people within their own “in-group” are at odds in many cases, Christians NOT being exempt from this. Strife abounds, and we don’t have to look far to find turmoil, political and social unrest, religious animosity, rudeness, incivility, and unkindness. The t-shirt and bumper sticker saying rings true: Mean people suck. God calls us to be different though. He calls us to a higher standard–to be kind, even when it’s undeserved. It’s high time we all put on our kindness hats!
Last week I created a resource page with scriptures about kindness and the kindness of God. Those scriptures will serve as a foundation for this post where we’ll discuss some of the characteristics of kindness and what being kind might look like in action, in addition to WHY we should be kind and HOW to be kind, especially when it’s not easy or might not come naturally.
Characteristics of kindness
In many New Testament scriptures about kindness or instructions to be kind, the original Greek language defines some of the characteristics of kindness that are relayed.
Some of the Greek words (stemming from the same root) include “chrestos”, “chrestotes”, and “chresteuomai”. The meanings and characteristics include things like…
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- Kindness, to be kind
- Gentleness, to be gentle
- Goodness, to be good
- Graciousness, to be gracious or offer grace
- to be considerate and thoughtful of others
- to show oneself useful (in manner and morals)
- excellence (in character or demeanor)
- to act benevolently
- to be friendly
In some scriptures, and in the original language, the word “kindness” is paired or interchanged with “gentle spirit” (“epiekes” in Greek). This carries the meaning of things like…
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- Gentle
- Moderation
- Patient
- Mild
- Appropriate (fair, equitable, reasonable)
- to be considerate
- to be kind
- Reasonableness
- Unselfishness
- Forbearing Spirit
- Graciousness
- Mercy
- Tolerance
Some verses in different translations can relay and expand in these characteristics and meanings:
“Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (AMP)
“And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (AMPC)
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) *See the similar characteristics that go hand in hand with kindness
“Your kindness should be known to all!” Philippians 4:5 (NAB)
“Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” Philippians 4:5 (NLT)
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5 (NIV)
