Acts of Kindness
[By Ashley Scott]
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6-8, ESV).
In the book of Ruth, we find Oprah and Ruth guiding their Mother-in-law Naomi back to her homeland after the death of her husband and two sons. Naomi tells her daughters to go back to their own mothers, and Oprah does… but Ruth refuses. She says to Naomi “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also of anything but death parts me from you” (Ruth 1:16-17, ESV). Ruth’s commitment to her Mother-in-law shows us the importance of helping those around us. We’re often encouraged to help a stranger or an acquaintance we know from school or work, thus we neglect to support the people we know best.
Pharaoh’s Daughter finds baby Moses among the reeds of the river in Exodus 2:5, when she approaches the water for a bath, “…She took pity on him and said “This is one of the Hebrews’ children” (Exodus 2:6, ESV). This is an important detail for at the time Pharaoh had given orders that all males born be put to death. Pharaoh’s Daughter shows great compassion in saving the child’s life, knowing it is against her father’s wishes. And yet, when faced with that decision she made no hesitation. She did what was right and just and kind. We should aim to do that also. Making choices to help people simply because it is what we should do.
Our greatest example of kindness, and everything we strive to be as Christians is Jesus. Jesus never failed to be respectful, compassionate or kind. One of the many acts of kindness He performed was healing the man with leprosy (The Leper). In Matthew 8, the Leper approaches Jesus, kneeling before him asking if he will cleanse him, “And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:3, ESV). Jesus shows us that all people are deserving of kindness, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs, we are called to help everyone.