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Be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Kindness... we hear about it often but do we really practice it? I mean, being nice is easy. All of us are nice, but being kind seems to imply action (at least to me). It takes effort to be kind to someone - to reach out, send an encouragement, to give up our time and resources.
This week we're teaching the kids about Tabitha. Her story is told in only a few verses (Acts 9: 36 - 43), but even in those short verses, we can see that she lived a life defined by acts of love and kindness. The Bible tells us that
- she was full of good works and acts of charity (vs 36);
- she was loved by her community (vs 38);
- she tangibly loved those around her (vs 39);
- she experienced an amazing miracle (vs 40); and
- her life (and her character) helped bring many to Christ (vs 42).
Titus 3: 4-6 reminds us that God came to us and showed us His love and kindness when he offered salvation. As children who've received this grace and mercy, we ought to show kindness to others as a way to demonstrate God's love.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3: 4-6
As you study kindness this week, think about the ways you can model and encourage acts of kindness!
1. In addition to discussion questions and prayer, the ResKids Gazette also has the recipe for our Tasty Tuesday Sour Patch Grapes recipe!
2. This blog article about kindness and hope was an encouragement to me.
3. This LifeKids video gives a good overview of Tabitha's story.
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