Rev. Richard Smith
You may or may not be aware that this Saturday, November 13, is World Kindness Day for 2021. I’m not sure who instituted this particular recognition but the website describes the focus as “a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. There’s not a one of us who questions that focusing on kindness is always a good thing!!
There are, of course, bountiful Biblical passages pointing us to toward being people who treat others kindly.
Luke 6:31 – “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them”
Luke 6:36 – “Be compassionate, just as God is compassionate”
Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not grow weary of doing good”
Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness…”
Proverbs 16:24 – “Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body”
I Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is patient and kind”
Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…”
Again, I’m sure none of you reading this question the centrality of the ethic of kindness as a paramount virtue for people of religious faith and spiritual commitment. Certainly, Jesus followers understand such a call as essential to being a faithful disciple
For me, there are two key words which define kindness at its best…empathy and encouragement.
When we’re empathetic, we’re diligently seeking to really understand what life is like for another person; what background he or she has experienced; what issues have affected his or her life; what paths have appeared or not appeared in that person’s life. In essence, we’re really seeking to know the heart and spirit of that person. There might be no kinder gesture toward another human being than really wanting to get to the heart of who he or she is; and why. Making an effort for empathetic understanding is a truly kind and caring act toward someone else.
Then there’s encouragement. Which one of us doesn’t need encouragement? Whatever our age; whatever our social status; whatever our professional standing; whatever our life situation; whatever our past; we can always use an extra dose of encouragement. I know personally that throughout my life, encouragers have consistently stepped up and spoken the words I needed to hear; offered the moment of touch I needed; or let me know in other ways that they were n my corner. I think the same is true of you!
Now, obviously, one who works at being empathetic and encouraging has made a commitment to do something about the deep hurts which plague our contemporary world. So, we then want to take the next step. That step is compassion.
Compassion, as I understand it, intentionally moves beyond empathy and encouragement to actually seek to change things that can and should be changed in the lives of others. We don’t just feel for someone in need or offer some form of encouragement, we take whatever proactive steps we can to make a true difference; helping change whatever circumstances we can with God’s help. Compassion, then, is strongly proactive in seeking to make things different than they now are. We can empathize and encourage, and those are important paths of support for someone; but being proactive to alter what can be altered takes kindness to a whole new level.
With you, I like many of the quotes people post on FB which invite us to be more caring people; which nudge us to do what we can where we can to change bad situations. One of my favorites is from Annne Frank…”How wonderful it is that nobody need wait before starting to improve the world“.
So, may each of us diligently seek to be empathetic, encouraging, and compassionate people!! Oh, the wonders we would see in our communities, in our nation, and in our world
