Week 1 Application

Every single day you put on clothes to wear–a shirt, a skirt, a pair of pants, a dress–whatever it may be, you choose to put on those clothes and go out into the world. This verse says that’s what we are supposed to do with kindness–put it on just like you choose to put on a certain shirt.

Now, when you get dressed for the day, do you only wear those clothes long enough for someone to see them, or do you usually wear them all day? Most of us don’t wear something for just a few minutes and then take it off. In the same way, kindness is not supposed to be just one quick, random act for people to see; it is supposed to be a way of life.

Here are three ways you can keep kindness “on” you every single day: your words, your actions, and your attitudes.
1. Your words. It can be very easy to be unkind with our words. Maybe we say the first thing that comes to our mind, or we don’t take the time to think about how something will sound before we say it. Sometimes we speak out of our hurt and anger without calming down.

As easy as it may be to say unkind things, it can be just as easy to say kind things. Do you know how great it makes you feel when someone says something kind to you? Your kind words may have that same effect on another person.

Think about a time when you were unkind with your words or a time someone was unkind to you with their words. How did hearing or saying hurtful, unkind words make you feel?

2. Your actions. Most of us probably don’t take the time to think about whether our actions are kind, but we should. To be kind with our actions requires us to make a decision to do something because it might mean something to a person. The busyness of life often stops us from being willing to slow down long enough to do something kind for someone, but we should learn to seek out opportunities to be kind to those around us–our parents, guardians, siblings, grandparents, neighbors. Being kind with our actions does not mean we have to do something big, noticeable, or expensive. You can be kind by doing the laundry when it’s not your turn, listening to a grandparent tell old stories, digging for your mom instead of letting her be in the garden all morning–there are lots of things you can do to show kindness.

What are some ways you can be kind with your actions, even today, when you get back to your home?

3. Your attitude. This may be the hardest area for us to choose to be kind. People don’t always know what our attitude is unless we let them see what we’re really thinking and feeling. If you have an attitude of kindness, you will be patient and gentle with people, even that one person who just gets on your nerves all the time! Kindness in our attitudes will be revealed when we choose to show God’s love instead of our frustration.

Job 6:14 says, “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” In this verse, fear doesn’t mean being afraid; here, fear means to respect or honor. This verse means that if you are not being kind to those around you, you are not showing proper respect to God. That’s how seriously God takes the topic of kindness.

We never know how much our kindness may impact others because we rarely know what other people are going through or feeling. It may be that a simple act of kindness from you helps a tired and hopeless parent feel appreciated, or it could be that something kind you say to a discouraged friend gives them hope and strength to not give up.