Kindness is something that I find much easier to give than patience. I love helping people, and making their loads a little lighter. Brightening up someone’s dreary day is such a small thing that can make a big difference. Showing kindness can come in many forms. Bringing baked goods to a neighbor, letting someone in front of you in the checkout line, paying for the person in front of you whose card just got declined, even just smiling at a stranger can be an act of kindness. We don’t know other people’s stories, maybe our small act of kindness is the nicest anyone has ever been to them, or maybe they’re suffering and you just gave them a little bit of hope.

When my late husband died, a friend of my brothers came up with him to help out. This person didn’t know me, and yet they helped out in big ways, from getting pictures developed to getting food. They even bought me several packages of double stuffed Oreos, which were my favorite. Their kindness has never been forgotten, even decades later.

Kindness does cost something. Maybe it will cost a chunk of your time, or some money. It isn’t always met with a ‘thank you’ either. It’s worth it though. Being kind isn’t for us, it’s for the other party, it’s to show God’s love, and what true Christians are all about. Often, being kind is a sacrifice. We are sacrificing our time, our money, our patience. Love is sacrificing though. And it’s fulfilling. Love is kind.