Is it easy to be kind?
When I’m:
not tired,
not hangry,
not stressed,
not over-worked,
not hurting,
not offended,
or not in physical pain.
It’s easier to be kind.
But kindness can’t flow through me unless I’ve spent some time with Jesus.
King David knew the source of kindness. He knew where to run to replenish his stores: to the Lord. He penned Psalm 86:5 as both a praise and an encouraging instruction to all, “You Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call on You.” (NIV)
Jesus knows what human emotions feel like. He knows the challenges and limits of the human body. He gently invites us to turn to Him for all our needs, including the need to extend kindness. “Come to me all who are weary and broken- I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV)
Maybe you can relate to feeling tired, hangry, stressed, over-worked, hurt, offended, or in physical pain. Maybe you too, struggle with kindness in those moments.
I have learned, that’s when we need to run to Jesus. Even when we can’t physically remove ourselves from the challenging situation, we can run to Him in our thoughts.
We can:
Pause.
Take a deep breath.
Run to Jesus.
Let the Holy Spirit speak and act through us.
It’s hard to surrender, at least for me. Especially in the moment. Not a one of us gets it right every single time.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t try again! Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (NIV, emphasis mine.)
Jesus can grow us.
The Holy Spirit can guide us.
God can gift us faith.
Let’s pray for just those things.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Please grow me, guide my words and actions, and gift me faith to rely on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.