In thinking about kindness, I am drawn to the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.

We are all pretty familiar with the story.  A man goes down from Jerusalem to Jericho and is robbed, beaten, and left half dead.

As luck would have it a priest passes by!  What a blessing!  A man of God! He see him… and passes by on the other side.  The same thing happens when the Levite passes.

These are two men who Spurgeon states were “bound by their profession” to help this man. They look at the situation, and go on their merry way.

Nothing changes until the Samaritan shows up.

The Samaritan gives instantly and without delay.  There doesn’t seem to be any hesitation on the part of the Good Samaritan, even though he is a helping a Jewish man, and Jews and Samaritans DID NOT like each other.

This is a picture of kindness in action.

The Good Samaritan gives of his time, his energy, and his money.

Some traits of kindness:

Kindness is full of self-denial.

Kindness isn’t worried about cost.  The Good Samaritan wasn’t going to be repaid by this man.  In fact, he probably never would see him again!

Kindness isn’t worried about how much work it will take.  He had to take the time and energy to get him from where he was to the inn.

Kindness isn’t worried about who it helps.  As I stated before, the Jews and Samaritans DID NOT like each other. This goes along with what Pastor Andy wrote in his devo yesterday about how we are to show kindness to those who don’t “deserve” it.

Taking care of this man delayed the Good Samaritan from where he was going.  But he still did what was right.  He showed kindness and compassion to this man who was not able to help himself.

The priest and the Levite were so worried about themselves that they were unable to see the person who needed help right in front of them.  They missed the forest for the trees.

Let this be a call that as followers of Christ, we are to not only be aware of our surroundings, but also willing to do something about it, even if it may cost us what we deem as precious to us.

The challenge is what Jesus says in Luke 10:37 from the Amplified:

“Go and constantly do the same.”

We should show kindness and mercy when we have the opportunity.

It goes along with the tagline for this month: Kindness: It’s what we do.

Have a great weekend and continue looking for ways to be kind to others, through speech or deed.

Author and speaker, Susan Smith Jones, shares this story traveling through an airport.

I was leaving Portland, Oregon, to fly to Los Angeles. Because of stormy weather, most flights were delayed, and some were canceled. The airport was crowded with unhappy travelers, so I was delighted that for some reason my flight was scheduled to leave on time. As they announced the final boarding, I noticed a harried man running up to the counter with his briefcase in one hand and his ticket in the other. The ticket agent said that unfortunately his reservation had been cleared and his seat given away. She told him politely and kindly that she would do everything she could to get him a seat on a later flight. Her response was clearly not acceptable to him as reflected by his inappropriate behavior.

He went ballistic. Everyone in the surrounding terminalarea could hear the din of his frustration. He had an important meeting in Los Angeles, and he had to get there. I couldn’t help but feel for him, because I’ve been in similar situations where I couldn’t afford to miss a flight, but everybody felt sorry for the ticket agent, especially when in his tirade he yelled out that he wanted to see a supervisor.

All of a sudden, a woman who appeared to be in her seventies walked up to this man and said that she wasn’t in a hurry and would be happy to give him her seat. As you can imagine, the man stopped right in his tracks. It almost looked as if he was about to cry. He apologized to her, to the ticket agent, and to everyone around for his behavior and thanked the woman for being an angel in his life. He boarded the flight smiling, relieved, and much wiser! What a blessing for the lovely woman, too. The man never knew it, of course, but the airline got her on another flight just three hours later and also gave her a free, first-class, round-trip ticket to any destination served by the company. So she was truly twice blessed.

It reminds me of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount –

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.   -Matthew 5:43-48 NLT

Anyone can be kind to a helpless child in need. Anyone can share with a not-so-rough looking single mother. Anyone can drop a bit of change in the bell-ringers bucket on the corner. Even a total sinner will do that!

How are you treating the gossiping co-worker next to you at lunch? How are you responding to the foul-mouthed foreman on the job site? How are you acting at the counter of the service provider in no way lived up to their responsibilities?

These are opportunities to truly shine the love of Jesus.

As you accept the challenges this month of March Kindness, I challenge you to not just show kindness to those who “deserve” it. Anyone can do that.

Song: Loyal

Artist: Lauren Daigle

Haggis

There are two culinary experiences which stand out from the year our family recently spent in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The first is a traditional Scottish meal, the Burns Supper.  It’s an annual celebration held in honor of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. I’ll never forget watching a chef demonstrate this traditional meal – of which the haggis is the main event – to a room full of children. He carefully (and graphically!) displayed each of the main ingredients of the haggis: the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep encased in the sheep’s stomach. (Your mouth is watering at the thought!). His demonstration had its desired effect – those kids were mortified!

A Wikipedia search leads you to this resounding endorsement of the dish: “Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour.”

Not immediately appealing. You think?!

On one occasion, we tried making it at home with some friends visiting from the States. This, however, was a mistake. We should have left the preparation to the locals, and focused solely on the consumption!

Honey

But, thankfully, we had another food experience that left a more favorable impression on us: set honey.

I’ll leave you to investigate the process, but the result was this textured, yet creamy honey that was perfect for spreading. It was amazing. In fact, I started nearly every day of my year in Edinburgh with a warm scone covered generously with this delicious sweetness. (My mouth is watering at the thought!)

Health

So what’s with all this chat about haggis and honey? I’m glad you asked. I’ve been thinking about this month’s March Kindness challenge at Cross Points. We’re considering ways to express God’s kindness to others.

And I thought of haggis. And honey. And Proverbs 16:24.

Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

It’s amazing to me that, through something as simple as the words that I speak, I have the ability to express the kindness of God. And the kindness of God is sweetness and health – abundant life.

I’d like to invite you to do two things today. One, take a moment to recall a time when a kind word brought life to you. And two, be intentional with your words. Speak kind words to someone today. Maybe a parent or child. Maybe a spouse or co-worker. Maybe a neighbor or stranger. Speak a kind word, and be an expression of God’s kindness.

Haggis or honey. You pick.