Monday Morning Devotion-January 9, 2023
Be Kind
Be kind to one another with a brother’s love, putting others before yourselves in honour.
Romans 12:10
What does being kind entail? Here’s a starting point: “Being kind means having empathy and/or sympathy. Being kind means that you should not have to put your other commitments to the side just because this person asked you for a last-minute favor and expects you to do it because you’re a ‘naturally nice’ person.” (www.theoddysseyonline.com/what-being-kind-means)
Do you consider yourself to be a kind person? We think of ourselves as being a nice person don’t we? Well, nice people are usually kind people. So, let’s look at that more closely.
In the Mayo Clinic’s “Art of Kindness” we read; “Kindness is more than just behavior. The art of kindness means harboring a spirit of helpfulness, as well as being generous and considerate, and doing so without expecting anything in return. Kindness is a quality of being. The act of giving kindness often is simple, free, positive, and healthy. Here are five benefits of kindness:
1. Kindness releases feel-good hormones: Doing kind acts for other people so-called happiness hormones are released (I’m skipping the technical terms here but if you want to look them up they are serotonin, a neurotransmitter)This causes your endorphin level to rise which is a phenomenon known as a ‘helper’s high.’ That is a typical state of euphoria by those engaged in a charitable activity. To put it simply it makes you feel good to be kind.
2. Kindness can reduce anxiety: Another benefit of kindness is that it can help to lower anxiety. Social anxiety is associated with an individual’s moods. Acts of kindness can affect a person’s positive moods such as joy, interest, and alertness.
3. Kindness may help alleviate and even prevent illness: Inflammation in the body is linked to numerous health problems. Acts of kindness such as volunteering can help trigger the release of Oxytocin which helps reduce inflammation,
4. Kindness can reduce your stress levels: Helping others lets you get outside of yourself and can potentially help to build relationships with other people by taking a break from the stressors in your own life. This behavior may even make you better equipped to handle stressful situations.
5. Some final takeaways and thoughts: Kindness and empathy help us relate to other people and have more positive relationships with friends, family, and even perfect strangers we encounter in our daily lives. Science and studies show that being kind and helpful clearly has a positive and uplifting effect on those carrying out the act.
What does the Bible have to say about being kind?
Colossians 4:6: Let your speech always be with grace:”
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-
control.
What are the benefits of being kind from a Biblical perspective? When we show
kindness through love, we show that we are disciples of Christ. This is pointed out in
John 13:34-35 A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you,
so must you love one another. By this all men will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another.
So what is the difference between biblical kindness and secular kindness?
“Biblical kindness is always rooted in love. Secular kindness is often based on tolerance. It’s ‘being nice’ to people regardless of how you feel about them. It’s more of a facade than anything else. When we are kind, we imitate God’s character. Not only does He command us to be kind, but He also shows us what genuine kindness looks like.”
(www.madeofstill.com/kindness-in-the-bible)
In trying to absorb all this information on kindness and how to be kind may be a little overkill. So let’s just be thankful that we have been exposed to it and why it is important.
Then we can sum up all of this information about what it means to be kind in one sentence:
Kindness is a reflection of the heart of God.
Prayer: Lord, help us make our world a better place by being kind. Amen!