Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness

          Galatians 5:22 mentions gentleness as one of the Fruit of the Spirit. The word “gentleness” in the Merriam Webster Dictionary means to be “kind.” What does it mean to be kind? To be kind means to be good to others and to be considerate. Showing compassion towards others is one way that we can show kindness towards them.
        When we look at what the Bible says about Jesus, we see that he had much kindness and compassion towards others.  He always treated others well, even those who worked against Him, and He had a deep care and concern for the welfare of others. We see Christ’s compassion in Matthew 14:13-21:
     " When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.”
          We see here how Jesus showed kindness and compassion towards the multitude and He made a point to care for these people. How many times do we show kindness towards others in their time of need?  How often do we see someone who is sick or suffering or in  need and we feel compelled to do something about it? On the other hand, how many times have we seen someone in physical or emotional need and we choose to not reach out to them?  By showing kindness and compassion towards others, we can shine our Christian light before others and help lead others to Christ.
​       “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 5:16). May we all work every day to shine our Christian lights to the world through our acts of kindness and compassion!
 

---