“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” Lao Tsu

Happy Monday!

It was another fantastic Olympic week last week! As the athletes return to their homes with medals and memories, we honor their commitment to discipline and sportsmanship and the kindness and camaraderie they showed one another. I hope new friendships were forged and new appreciations crafted that will work toward a greater understanding of cultural diversity and underscore the importance of peace and tolerance.

Kindness seems like such a simple thing ~ one that shouldn’t have to be requested or even considered, but a natural outpouring of care and concern for one another. We could look at it as an extended arm of compassion. You know, when you inadvertently do something nice for someone because it’s part of your character, like holding a door or offering a word of appreciation.

For some, kindness is precisely that, a character trait learned from childhood that has become such a seamless part of life that it’s automatic. It’s a virtue developed while watching others model the behavior and then emulating it. It’s not difficult to achieve, costs very little in terms of energy, and has lasting value.

Kindness is recognized as a strength in humility, as its foundation is considering others without expectation of reward. It’s being helpful for the sheer pleasure of helping. It’s caring about another person’s well-being simply because the other person matters.

Lao Tsu shared these thoughts about kindness:

Photo by Susan Wilkinson. No copyright infringement intended.

Kindness in words creates confidence. I’ve never really thought about kindness creating confidence, but when people have spoken kind words to me, particularly after a difficult season of change or growth, confidence is exactly what was instilled. Kindness has encouraged me to continue my practice when I thought I might be done, work more diligently at creating when I suspected my inspiration had ended, and press harder to stay relevant when I thought I had become obsolete and ineffective. Confidence is a natural outcome of kindness.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. I wonder if great depth and insight can be formed from tension and restriction. Perhaps our minds need to be treated with gentle kindness to be able to reach the stages of depth where profound thought is accessed. Maybe our hearts need clear pathways to access the peace from which life-changing vision and wisdom occur. It’s interesting to consider what it takes to make the unimportant dross in our minds fade, allowing the intensity to surface. Kindness may be a key to profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love. Giving, by its very nature, is an act of loving support. It’s a way of caring for another person or people group utilizing resources from the giver. Giving from a place of gratitude for what we have and an extension of thankfulness for the provision for which we’ve been blessed creates a kindness that promotes a loving atmosphere. Sometimes, we give from our lack. That sacrificial giving adds an entirely new dimension to the process. Kindness in giving becomes an act of love.   

Scripture includes kindness as evidence of walking in the Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (TLB)

Here are a few other lovely thoughts about kindness:

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” Jackie Chan

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Scott Adams

“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Because that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.” Andrew Iskander

Kindness is fundamental to human nature, easy to accomplish, and requires little effort. It seems like something we should incorporate into our lives like breathing. Sadly, many people can’t be bothered to take that one extra breath. My challenge this week is to recognize opportunities to be kind. You may not realize profound ways, as with those espoused by Lao Tsu, but there may be a few subtle moments that cross your path where you could choose kindness instead of indifference.

Give it a try and see if the rewards outweigh your efforts!

Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda