KINDNESS

As I was thinking, there were so many things that came to mind. Stressful events that the Lord has resolved recently. Big changes he’s made in my life, and navigating through that. Things from the past, hopes for the future, things that are deep and personal and hard and how God leads in it. I thought of things that are happening in my family, things that are burdening me for my friends – there is always so much occurring in each of our lives and in the lives of those we care for, and so which direction do you go, what do you say. But there is one thing God brought to mind as I was asking him for direction - his kindnesses.

We all know how great God is, how powerful and mighty. We praise him for loving us, for providing for us. We come to him to confess our sins and we receive mercy, we receive grace. We even thank him for the trials, or at least we understand that there is purpose in the trials. But in those trials – would we say God is being kind? It might not be the first attribute you think of. It isn’t for me, anyway. I can logically reason it out – the Bible tells us that love is kind – and as God is love, God must also be kind. As followers of Christ, we are called to be kind to one another, forgiving each other as Christ first forgave us. And logically, this is easy to believe. But sometimes, in everyday life, there is still a disconnect between the logic and the tangible. Yes, I KNOW God is kind – but do I SEE it, do I FEEL it? I think at times I equate his “kindness” to a resolution – a complete change in circumstance for me or for someone I love. But that may not be his purpose in each situation. And so, he has reminded me that yes, he is kind – because he has shown me his kindness in little ways.

I’ve noticed it in those stressful times, things that are sometimes easy to miss. Things like a beautiful sunset glaring through your window, so brilliant you have to go outside to stare at it for a while. It’s seeing a tiny tree growing by the side of the road surrounded by dirt and trash, that someone took the time to decorate for Christmas. It’s your brother and sister-in-law telling you they have figured out a way to come visit you for a week – and then actually coming to visit you for a week. It’s the cup of chai waiting for me when I arrive at Hindi class because my teacher remembered I like how she makes it. It’s a little girl breaking away from playing to simply come sit on your lap for a few minutes. It’s the cat who has always seemed to resent your existence suddenly allowing you to pet her and even purring. A random joke from a student that catches you off guard and makes you laugh. A baby who lights up when he sees you and comes toddling over to be picked up with a “Hi didi!”. It’s friends inviting you over for coffee, and friends deliberately planning a dinner and a movie night just to include you. It’s a text to come over and bake cookies during a quiet afternoon. It’s being part of random and hilarious text chains that make absolutely no sense to anyone else. It’s the beauty in nature, the flowers blooming and the various shades of green in the trees, the birds singing despite the haze of pollution. All of this reminds me that God isn’t ignoring me, that he hasn’t forgotten, that he does care. That he is kind.

And really – his reminding me of this has also been a kindness, because life gets hard, and I forget to look for these small gifts. So today, I am again grateful for his kindness.

Reflection by: Jen Ransome