I was on my home from the hospital trying to understand what was happening. I drove up to the window of a fast-food restaurant and was asked, "How can I help you?" That's when I lost it. I began to cry uncontrollably. Finally, I pulled my car into a parking space laid my head on the steering wheel and gave way to my grief.
Suddenly there was a gentle tapping at my window. There at my window were two young women one had a hot cup of coffee the other was holding a warm cinnamon roll. Their kindness was like a warm blanket on a cold day. This happened three years ago and yet every time I pass by that restaurant I am refreshed by the memory of their kindness.
As I've reflected on this memory, I've thought about what the Bible teaches about kindness. Two things stand out to me first that love is kind and secondly that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. I think kindness is like a taste of heaven.
Often, I'm overwhelmed by the suffering around me. I feel completely inadequate to do anything and then I remember how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:9,10) God is love. Love is kind. Even the smallest act of kindness to a stranger can be an opportunity for us to fulfill God's will.
So today my prayer is that I might be kind and tenderhearted to those I encounter whether I know them or not.
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