Is your Kindess Refreshing?

When I read my devotional the other day, this verse stuck with me:

"Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people." Philemon 1:7

Now, this whole chapter is delightful to read. You have Paul, who is currently in prison, writing to a brother in Christ for a favor, Philemon. He starts off by building him up and speaking to his character. He basically says, your kindness refreshes God's people, Philemon. I love that.

I started thinking...is my kindness refreshing? Does it reflect Christ? Our kindness toward others should be genuine and not forced. We should be kind because we want to and not because others are telling us to. Sarcasm and kindness link very well together in some cases. When you are forced to be kind to someone and deep down you don't feel like you should, sarcasm begins to play a role. A kind gesture quickly turns into a passive aggressive reaction where the receiver feels uncomfortable and possibly attacked by your gesture.

The definition of refresh is 'to give new strength or energy, to reinvigorate' [Google Dictionary]. Our kindness should recharge others. It should strengthen them. Not because of us but because of who our God is. When we choose to love and interact with people the way God intended us to, His light shines through and He is reflected in those actions. We are leaving a lasting impression of Jesus Christ on them.

It can be hard to do this, especially with people where there is already friction, or they prove difficult to get along with. However, I want to encourage you to genuinely show kindness to others, no matter your relationship with them. You are planting a seed when you choose to show God's kindness to others. God will use that seed to draw that person closer to Him. In the end, God's kingdom is glorified because we are reflecting our Creator here on earth. Let's genuinely be kind. Let's refresh some hearts.