Fruits of the Spirit, part five: Kindness in Character

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-25, AMP)

Kindness is something we’re taught as children. When we’re young, we learn to show others more kindness and value it in our own character. For many, somewhere along the way, other things take precedence: our comfortability, our pride, whatever it might be. But many times, kindness loses its luster as we grow older, getting put on the back burner. 

And yet, if you ask someone to list what they look for in a friend or in a romantic partner, kindness will probably be on that list, if not one of the first things. So if we expect kindness out of others, why is it such a struggle to show kindness ourselves? Because the fact is, when God names kindness as a Fruit of the Spirit, it’s not exclusive to people we find easy to love. It’s for everyone– strangers, friends, family, acquaintances, and yes, even people we’d rather not spend time with.

You see, when we’re talking about kindness in Galatians 5, we are looking at the Greek word, chréstos, which refers to being serviceable in a tenderly concerned way. In short, it means that one of God’s attributes is to love others enough to extend His hand to help, regardless of the worthiness of the recipient of that kindness. The way God shows kindness is not stingy or contingent on how good we are. If it were, there would be no hope for salvation. The actions of Adam and Eve would have been reason enough for Him to turn His back on us all. 

So why is it that we think we can walk around withholding kindness based on our preference for someone or how convenient it is for us to be kind in any given moment.

You see, Jesus Himself is the embodiment of kindness because God has shown us compassion on compassion. “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7, NIV)

That in and of itself should be reason enough for us to recommit to fostering kindness within our hearts. Because we were least deserving of it, living in foolish disobedience without a single hope of saving ourselves from the fate sin set for us. But the simple fact that God sent His Son to die for our sins, extended His salvation to us, and poured out His Holy Spirit in us, is a kindness we cannot begin to understand. 

Like every other Fruit of the Spirit we’ve explored over the past few weeks, we’re coming to find that any of these fruits are possible because God is able to dwell in our innermost parts and transform us to be more like Him. We are able to embody and make God’s character our character because we have been near Him, allowing Him to have his way with our hearts.

If you’re struggling with showing kindness today, take a moment for yourself and remember the deep compassion God has shown you. For me, the best way to inspire kindness in my heart, is to remember the kindness that was already shown to me, and allowing that to stir my heart towards others. 

The unique thing about kindness is that it’s not just a state of being or a lifestyle like some of the other Fruits we’ve spoken about. Kindness is also a call to action. The world won’t be able to see God’s tender concern through us if we don’t act in that way to others, be it in our words or in our deeds. However, if we make God’s kindness to us real in our own hearts by remembering what He did for us, we’ll be able to act in kindness towards others without ulterior motive. It’s no secret that sometimes, we act kind to feel better about ourselves. There can be something self-glorifying about helping others, and some people mistake good deeds to be the currency that buys our salvation.

In reality, God is calling us to be kind in character not because we need to earn our salvation, but because He extended His hand to us and called us to do the same for others.

So once you allow the kindness you’ve been shown to deeply fill your heart, it should begin to flow out of you. Start small if you need by encouraging someone in their struggle, filling a physical need in their life, or team up with a local ministry and bless a stranger. Eventually, if you make that kindness a habit in your heart, it will be easier to show loving kindness to those who you previously thought didn’t deserve it. 

After all, God’s love for you was never dependant on how good you were first, but His character is to pour out his love for us regardless, and the more real that becomes to us, the more we will be inspired to reach out in the same way to people that are hard to love in our flesh.