Living in Kindness
by PASTOR MICHAEL CISLER
North Kent Bible Church
There are a lot of places where we can—and do—spend our time: at home, at the grocery store, at work, at the gym, where we volunteer, at a restaurant… the list could go on. All of these places and many more have in common the fact that there are people there. I realize that this seems a bit elementary, but the truth is sometimes I and others seem to act like there is nobody else around. We can become so consumed with only the thoughts of what we have happening in our lives that we miss the opportunity of kind interaction with others.
We find in the second part of a verse in the Bible, Colossians 3:12 specifically, the following phrase: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” This standard is given specifically to Christians in this text. A belief in Jesus as Lord ought to change us from being absorbed in only the things of our own lives to being committed to interacting in a positive way with others. If the opportunity arises, do we wait a few more seconds to hold the door open for somebody else or do we continue on our way because we don’t have a few seconds to spare? Do we smile at other customers and employees at the store or do we rush through with our head down to be sure to complete our shopping list? Do we speak kindly to the people with whom we come in contact or do we speak rudely or even ignore them?
We have an opportunity regularly to treat others with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. I am going to choose to live that way not only with people I know but also with those I don’t yet know. So when you see someone you don’t know holding the door for you and greeting you with a smile, it may be me. It is my hope that I will also see you doing the same.
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