I've seen it a lot in this world. Those who preach Christianity and those who truly play the part of Christians. Recently, I have been totally blown away by something that made me really look to the Bible as to how Christians should act towards others. In particular when it comes to kindness, consideration of others and helping your fellow man. Gosh knows, I'm the first to admit that I have a quick temper. But, there is one thing that I can say.... I have always shown a general kindness for others, especially those in need. If a friend needs a favor, I will do what I can to help them. If someone asks me about any job openings or anything like that, I inquire, and try my best to find them something. I know that one of my friends has helped me with this twice now, and she really didn't have to. She was incredibly busy, but she lead me in the direction towards two great jobs that have really helped me grow both career-wise and as a person. I can't imagine not being that way. I can't imagine not trying to help someone, even if it didn't benefit me. I just can't find that in my heart, and I don't think that God would want us to have that in our heart.
Human kindness and mercy are much the same in terms of definitions. Mercy is defined in the dictionary as “compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence:”. To have this type of human kindness we must free ourselves from vanity, strife, and envy. Human kindness is demonstrated by deeds. God's mercy toward us is our best example of true kindness. The Bible teaches us that we must treat all strangers with human kindness. Kindness is a key Christian value that God desires for all of us to possess and to show to others. It is not our job to judge people. God desires that all of us treat everyone with kindness. Showing human kindness to strangers is a core virtue of being a Christian. God will judge us on how we treat others.
And the hardest part of it all is trying to find it in my heart to forgive someone who does not come through in a time of need or not judge them. Someone who decides that helping others isn't worth their time or effort. That helping others doesn't benefit them. That even helping a loved one in a time of need isn't worth their time. That's very hard for me to do.
And lastly, I'm a total sucker for quotes, I find that they can really help open your eyes to things. I found these:
"Sometimes people put up walls, not to keep people away, but to see who cares enough to tear those walls down." - Unknown
"Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." - Leo Buscaglia
"Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up." ~Jesse Jackson
(P.S. can't believe I just put a Jesse Jackson quote on my blog - good grief!)
"Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not." ~Samuel Johnson
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