I recently ran across a quote from Richard Dehmer; “A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all humankind.” One reason I like that comparison is because it links kindness with love. I have quoted before that kindness is love with work boots on. I have also said before that love is not just something we say or even feel; it is something we do. Love is a verb. To feel love for someone and not express your love with acts of kindness is like wrapping a present for them and never giving it to them.
I know people who profess a love for all of the poor, needy and homeless, but instead of reaching out to someone in need, they campaign for government to use the tax dollars of others to help those in need. It may make them feel a little better about themselves, but it is not the most effective way to provide help and it certainly does not express love or kindness. Government programs are always wasteful and sometimes even corrupt. The motive behind such programs isn’t love or kindness, but an attempt to buy votes and make people rely more on government. The ruling government in Jesus’ day was Rome. I cannot find a single time in scripture where Jesus encouraged the Roman emperor to protect, feed and care for the needy; but he did instruct his followers (including you and me) to do just that.
Jesus gave us the perfect example of person to person loving kindness, even from a very unlikely source, when he told the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). It illustrates what loving your neighbor with acts of kindness looks like; even when that neighbor is outside of your circle or your community. Don’t overlook Jesus’ instruction at the end of that story, “Now go and do the same“. Imagine how things would be different in our nation if every Christian believer would reach out with kindness across racial, ethnic, political and religious divisions to help someone who is hurting or in need.
With this emphasis on person to person kindness, I don’t want to minimize the good we can do by supporting faith based organizations that provide needed food, clean water or other provisions to people around the world. I just want to make sure that we don’t use such support to replace our personal kind acts.
We have witnessed how an unseen virus can spread around the world from person to person. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has spread around the world in that same manner; from person to person. Let’s infect everyone with whom we come in contact with God’s love through our acts of kindness in response to His Holy Spirit within us.