Love is Kind

You’d think that being kind would be easy; it’s not that hard to look up and just smile at a person, or ask them how their doing, right? Why is it, that people now-a-days can’t hold open a door for the person behind them or pick up something the person beside you dropped? Does anyone really know what it is to be kind anymore? Are you kind?

So what does it really mean to be kind? Using modern day technology, Dictionary.Com gives five definitions of what it is to be kind.

1. Of a friendly, generous, or warm-hearted nature.
2. Showing sympathy or understanding; charitable: a kind word.
3. Humane; considerate: kind to animals.
4. Forbearing; tolerant: Our neighbor was very kind about the window we broke.
5. Generous; liberal: kind words of praise.

For the past several days this question has been haunting me. Most of my adult life, I have been accused of being cold, grumpy, unhappy, speaking to people in a “tone;” and… I think I’m going to stop there just so I can keep what’s left of my ego. I never thought what they were saying was really true, but apparently my face was.

My place of employment was were I got most of the slack from. People would go into the HR manager and tell them that I wasn’t very nice and that they felt uncomfortable with me. This became old after the fifth time being called into Karen’s office. I thought that people were out to get me! What did I do so wrong for them to pick me out? I can sit here and name a hand full of people that don’t act very kind. There are even some that won’t even look at you when you’re talking to them. So what was it about me that they felt the need to complain to HR about?

As I really think about it now, I kind of have to laugh; they were right, I would walk through work with my head down, not smiling, and pretty much keeping to myself. In my mind, I was there for work and work alone. I didn’t come to work to socialize or befriend anyone, but the problem with that was I contradicted myself.

I was, and still am best friends and sister-in-law with the owner’s daughters. It dawned on me, and I think it was even mentioned during a situation at work, that the only reason people cared so much about how I treat them is because I was technically part of the “in” crowd, which in this case was being part of the Witmer family. For goodness sakes, I even called them mom and dad! Now, people wouldn’t just complain about me… trust me, my sister-in-law must have been called into HR about 30 times before she graduated college and went off to bigger and better ART things! It was even a running joke in the family that Katie would be called into Karen’s office in the morning.

All these employees ever wanted, was to be liked by the influential people in the company. I expected these people to be kind to me, when I wouldn't even try to be kind to them. If I was an outsider looking in, it would be hard to believe I was even a Christian. At least that's how I see it now. In no way was I being kind, and in no way was I being loving, so how could they ever see Christ in me?

Living in the world we do today, we seem to only worry about ourselves and what is going on in our own lives. We tend to walk with our heads down and not notice the person next you us. It our heads we are the priority not that poor guy on the corner, who obviously did something wrong to end up there. Come on, being kind is not that hard! And trust me, I’m telling myself that. I would have to say, the kindest person I know would have to be my soon to be sister in law, Tara. I think if Jesus was here in the flesh he would show the kind if kindness that Tara shows others. She is so in love with God and so filled with him that all she can do is be kind to others. My prayer is that someday I can be in that place where God is so vibrant in my life that all I can do is show kindness to others, and each day is a new one to try.