A kind word

It’s Christmas season.  Those of us who are Grinch’s are busy complaining about the traffic, the commercialism and all the money “wasted” on gifts. 

But it’s also a great time for us, as Christ followers, to be intentional with a very simple thing- a kind word.

Scripture is filled with admonitions to love others, to care for the needy and show the love of Christ as we live our lives. But the easiest thing to do is be kind.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” It means seeing others and speaking to their heart need: encouragement.

It looks like encouragement and a smile for the cashier as she frantically tries to check you out.  It’s being aware of those around you and taking a moment to lift them up with a simple, but kind word.  It’s about paying for the person behind you at Starbucks, letting someone in line ahead of you at the store, helping another with their bags, opening a door for a frazzled mom, sending a note of encouragement to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.

The list is endless, but it begins with these simple words from Jesus who gave us the formula for how to live in this season, in fact in every season, when he said,

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift (kindness) will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

The greatest witness you can offer to the world you walk in each day is kindness…the kindness that invites others to a smile, an encouraged heart, a new hope.  Make it your goal, for the rest of this year, to look for at least one person in your day to whom you can give a kind word.  You never know…you might discover an exciting new way to share the love of Christ with a frazzled and frantic world.