That’s Something You Don’t See Everyday.

I live in Decatur, Alabama, if you know me, you know that. What you may not know is that I have a giraffe for a neighbor. Seriously, one of my neighbors owns a giraffe. On a regular basis, as I turn the street to head to my house, there is a crowd gathered to see this strange sight. In fact, a few days ago, I stopped on my way home because the giraffe was near the fence line and got out and actually got to pet him (he even licked my hand with his purple tongue).

Seeing a giraffe on the side of the road on your way home is certainly something you don’t see every day (unless you live near me) but I want to talk about something else that you don’t see every day. KINDNESS. The Bible Study I attend on Sunday had kindness and goodness (two characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit) as our topic and it was a great class. We talked about the reasons why it is often hard for us to show kindness to others, we talked about the impact a simple act of kindness can make in our lives and the lives of other people. We even talked about how it can be so simple to smile and be kind. In spite of all that, my guess is that you would agree that kindness is not something you see every day.

But what if it was. What if we, the people of God, made a commitment to kindness. What if we made the decision that today I am going to be kind to everyone I come in contact with regardless of who they are, what they look like, or what is going on in my own world. What if we made the choice to be kind even when someone else wasn’t kind to us? Let me say it again, kindness is a choice.

“But Steve, life is difficult right now…there is the virus, that jerk at work, the stresses that come from bills I can’t pay, that sickness, that (insert whatever you are dealing with here).”

I didn’t say it would be easy…I did say it was a choice. By the way, anger is also a choice. So is bitterness. So is hatred. Why choose those things when kindness is there as an alternative?

I mentioned that crowds regularly gather to see the giraffe near my house. People go out of their way to see my neighbor’s giraffe because it is so rare. I am convinced that crowds would gather to see true kindness on display as well. People will go out of their way to be around someone who is kind. So, how about it? Ready to give it a try? Make the choice! Be kind.