Kindness

There are things about my life that make me think I might be getting older.  It is not the expected things like moving a little slower, or going to the doctor so often we are on a first name basis, or getting the senior discount for a cup of coffee.  Instead, what makes me feel older more often is the way younger people stop and wait for me to arrive at a door they are holding open for me.  It is a kind of kindness and respect for older folks which I thought had disappeared.  I am still capable of opening my own doors, but am grateful that kindness is still present in our young.   

Of course, regardless of our age, we can all be kind to one another.  Interestingly enough, it is listed in the fruit of the Spirit passage in the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia.  (Galatians 5:23)  I Corinthians 13 tells us that love is kind.  In Colossians 3:12 the Word says, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness..."   There can be no doubt that God intends for us to be kind to one another.  

It is good to see evidence that it has taken root in our young as well as something which still lingers in those of us who are lingering around in our older years.    Kindness goes a long way in making the world a better place.  It goes a long way in affirming value and worth to one another.  It sends an entirely diffferent message from the hurried motorist who sits on the horn from behind us simply because we are not moving at a speed deemed fast enough.  I enjoy being kind to others.  I am blessed by their smiles.  And, I am always grateful for kindness offered my way.  It blesses me and I hope it blesses the one who offers it to me.