The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 40
Sometimes the only way to understand one thing, such as kindness, is to understand the complete opposite: meanness, rudeness, and swift anger. Anger is often the first responder to other emotions, such as fear, disappointment, and confusion. Kindness, though, is carefully orchestrated.
While reciprocation is a foundation to honor, trust, and friendship, many are kind to those they care for, regardless of their faith. Considering this, what differentiates kindness, from the fruit of the Spirit kindness? Is it intent, or is it the source? Is that we are told to be, or is it that we are moved to be? To be kind, one repays kindness; to be fruitful, one gives kindness.
Often an act of kindness towards one who hates us is all that is needed for healing to begin in their heart, and ours. To find these traits in others, or even ourselves, is a matter of life changing kindness. To do so, offer encouragement in the gifts He gives. It is by encouragement of those who try, but have little to anything to show for it, that makes a champion. I was encouraged in writing, many years ago. Looking back at it, I am humbled. My writing today is not the greatest, to be sure, but when I was encouraged, my writing could scarcely have been worse! Receiving kindness changed my entire life. That is the power of the fruit of the Spirit kindness, undeserved.
The ultimate act of kindness is to encourage the fruit of the Spirit. To be guided to the fruit of the Spirit is to be guided to the Seed therein. When encouraging others in the gift He gave them, share Scripture, share kindness, but never share white lies as a means to support. Those who encouraged me to write did not lie. They told me I needed a lot of work, but that I also had a gift, a talent, and a duty.
The test to see if we have the Spirit is in First John. If it were my testing, I might be tempted to say that puppies have the Holy Spirit, and that Yahoweh guides kittens more than man. While some alcoholics may show an artificial kindness outwardly, a follower of the Messiah shows more kindness upwardly. However, is it possible to show kindness to Yahoweh, but not to those crafted in His image?
Love the Father with all your heart, understanding, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
For what could be kinder?
Kindness. One may think that always helping an elder is kind, while sometimes the elder wants to do it himself. Caring for the elderly is an honorable role, but for you the gift may be something as simple as gardening, and the life of enjoyment it can bring to many. What is your fruit of the Spirit, kindness, like? No matter how small, find it. For you have heard it said, that a seed must fall to the ground, and die, before it can grow into a tree, and that even the smallest of seeds can grow to great heights.
Search out good traits, as finding one may be the key to having purpose, to being able to sing that all is well with your soul. However, sometimes only a small fire can take the whole land. “Instead, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink, for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.” (Romans 12:20; also see Proverbs 25:21-22). Have you ever been mad at someone, but he would not get mad in return? I have. Their kindness caused a burning in my soul, a spiritual fire consuming the impurities of the world. Fires can sometimes destroy, and other times fire is the only thing that can save a forest.
What would cause someone to see in you something worth changing for? What would it take for you to see this in others? We must ask the right questions. We are not just talking about kindness, but kindness that is of the Spirit, not the self, and that bears fruit. What kindness can be done through you that will bear true fruit?
Performers never get to see the play.
Instructors never know how many battles and wars they helped win.
A pianist plays, and a thousand dream.
Consider the following short story as a minor example:
While he once went to church, Jake is a rude, vulgar, drunken, slovenly man, who does not care. Richard wants to encourage him in the fruit of the Spirit and so prays behind the plough.
“Good morning, Jake.”
“What’s good about it?”
“Every day is a blessing from above to start fresh, and seeing you help that elderly man change his tire yesterday got me to thinking about giving to some of the elders at the nursing home today. I may not have many skills, but may as well use what I have.”
“You must not of watched long enough to see he paid me. What are they paying you?”
“Smiles. Lots of smiles. Of course that is all I am paying them, too. But I figure I get about twenty smiles for one of mine. Good trade, eh? After my comedy show, I am going to read them a passage from the Bible. It reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.” (Galatians 5:22-23). Would you like to join me?”
“Well, I would love to … but I think I got the sermon and comedy show already.”
“Ha ha, well, not all of it for sure. If you ever change your mind, Jake, let me know. I saw that you took money, but I also saw that you refused it at first. It wasn’t until you saw that to reward that man even further was to receive the gift he gave, only then did you take it. Much like the Messiah, until you receive what He gives, your reward is only actions. I’ll be at the nursing home in an hour. Drop in. Your kindness there would be a great gift that they could only repay you with smiles and silent prayers.”
Richard walks away while praying for him, but Jake never shows, and moves shortly thereafter. But the encouragement of kindness ate at him, as a detergent to grime, as a fire to a forest of weeds, and, in the fullness of his time, Jake was a comedian at a nursing home. A resident, maybe, but a comedian nonetheless, who never forgot, once he remembered, to give one must receive, and so Jake received the Word, and gave the Word in kindness. Richard never knew.
Kindness. Sure, opening a door can be kind, but the fruit of the Spirit is deeper than the act. It is in the Guide guiding you to receive. To receive the Branch, the Hand of Messiah, for He will cause you to bloom in the Seed of His Word, and the fruit of His kindness will cover you, beckoning another to pick and eat.
Many in other faiths show more kindness for the creation than the believers do. How is it the Word can speak so much on kindness for the least of people, and even express concern for the animals and planet, yet we do nothing but argue our religion? Why do others do, and we sit around discussing things? We see in Romans 2:12-16 that those who do not have Torah, yet perform Torah, may have more of Him than we do! We, the believers, are being outdone by the world in terms of kindness. Do we want a kitten or a puppy to outdo us? Will we stand by, and just let it happen, as the atheist obeys the Torah more than we do? Perhaps, just perhaps, we need to be more jealous for the keeping of His Commandments in the Spirit of kindness; for what kinder thing can a child do?
Have you ever tried to tell someone something, and it felt like you were talking to a brick wall? Perhaps you were sharing an aspect of your faith, or a concept about health, or maybe talking about how to be more loving to your children, but nothing you said ever got through. Everyone has inhibitions about certain things. To be able to see, to hear, we must examine ourselves, past arguments and conversations, to discover what we have rejected. We must revisit old battles to discern if they should have been battles at all. To do this, you may need to revisit some of the other Letters, like For the Love of Animals or Ten Commandments: The Fifth Commandment so as to show the fruit of the Spirit kindness to your children, to the animals, and even to yourself.
All things have a recipe. For trees, it is healthy soil, rain, sun, and a bit of pruning. For the soul, it is His Word loved enough for action, and a bit of pruning. If both have this, then both bear fruit. What branch or limb needs pruned in your spirit to let Light in? What can be removed to encourage Truth? What sharp Letter in these pages lingers in your mind?
Kindness. Look to the Father! He gave His Son. He gave His Word. He gave His Spirit. He gave us, in kindness, life more abundantly. Take hold of the Messiah Himself, grab tight His Tzitzit, and don’t let go. Look, and see. Listen, and hear. Kindness is showing love to all. Have faith, and do not be afraid: you, with the Ruach, no longer have a need to show kindness only to a few, for by His Strength, by His Spirit, you are able to be kind to all, even to one’s very self.
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
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Additional Scripture References:
Mark 12:32-34, Isaiah 54:10, Jeremiah 9:24, Daniel 9:4, Jonah 2:8, Micah 6:8
