If you were to ask a few friends to describe their church, you should expect most of them to say, “It’s a friendly church.” While I hope most of the churches in your area are friendly, not everyone can be “above average.” To really learn something about the quality of their relationships, you might ask some questions about the ways people are encouraged to share deeply about the joys and challenges in their life. Do they encourage one another to openly praise and appreciate each other’s particular contribution and talents? What happens when two people or two groups experience conflict? What do they do for fun? How often do they laugh together?
While people may say they value a particular virtue or characteristic, it is their behavior that truly reveals how strongly it operates as a controlling principle in their life. In other words, what you do speaks louder than what you say.
Very few people would want anyone to think they were unkind. Given that; isn’t it amazing how many unkind people you meet every day? These are the people who tend to notice—and comment and complain about—the faults of others. They almost always see other people with critical eyes.
So how can tell if you are really kind or if it’s just wishful thinking? You may want to ask yourself a few questions: How often has it been your experience that your presence has encouraged other people? Do many folks tell you that they feel at home with you? Do you see the needs that others overlook? Do you like to make other people’s lives more pleasant by taking care of the small details of life? How easy is it to be friendly to people who are not very friendly to you? Do you find it difficult to minister to people when you cannot expect anything in return?
Kindness expresses itself through the many simple details of life and relationships: being interested in others, giving gifts, showing attention, listening to people, remembering names. Kindness radiates an atmosphere of grace—God’s grace. As God floods your life with the light of his love, may you reflect the light of that love into the lives of others, so they may truly experience kindness that is more than words.
While people may say they value a particular virtue or characteristic, it is their behavior that truly reveals how strongly it operates as a controlling principle in their life. In other words, what you do speaks louder than what you say.
Very few people would want anyone to think they were unkind. Given that; isn’t it amazing how many unkind people you meet every day? These are the people who tend to notice—and comment and complain about—the faults of others. They almost always see other people with critical eyes.
So how can tell if you are really kind or if it’s just wishful thinking? You may want to ask yourself a few questions: How often has it been your experience that your presence has encouraged other people? Do many folks tell you that they feel at home with you? Do you see the needs that others overlook? Do you like to make other people’s lives more pleasant by taking care of the small details of life? How easy is it to be friendly to people who are not very friendly to you? Do you find it difficult to minister to people when you cannot expect anything in return?
Kindness expresses itself through the many simple details of life and relationships: being interested in others, giving gifts, showing attention, listening to people, remembering names. Kindness radiates an atmosphere of grace—God’s grace. As God floods your life with the light of his love, may you reflect the light of that love into the lives of others, so they may truly experience kindness that is more than words.
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