Do you consider yourself nice or kind? If you ask anyone this question, most people will say they are one-in-the-same. However, they are quite different; Nice people are polite, courteous, and respectful. However, kind people extend themselves out of love for the sake of others. A nice person may ask whether you are hungry, but a kind person will bring out food for you without you having to ask. In its simplest form, kindness is an action. Being kind is defined as a type of behavior that involves acts of generosity, consideration, or concern shown to others without expecting recompense or praise in return.
Kindness is an Action
Kindness is not an emotion; it’s not a feeling. It’s not something you feel for someone. Rather it’s what you do for someone. It is an activity, an event, and an action, an action that is expressed in love. In other words, kindness is love in action (1 Corinthians 13:4). You never hear someone say the act of niceness, but you often hear people say the act of kindness.
The Bible never tells us to be nice. Instead, it tells us to be kind, anyone can be nice, but it takes a sacrifice to be kind. Kindness flows from the heart, and it’s an act that reflects the character of Christ. The Bible instructs us to put on holiness, be loving, compassionate in heart, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:12). It teaches us to be kind to one another (Ephesian 4:32). These verses and others demonstrate kindness as an action, not a characteristic or personality. Being nice is a personality while being kind is an action.
Wired for Kindness
We are all wired for kindness; Psychologists state that we naturally have a sense of wanting to help someone in need and that even witnessing an act of kindness improves our mood, making us more likely to pay it forward. And based on experiments at Yale University in 2010, using games with babies, some studies concluded that kindness is inherent to human beings. It’s as if we are all wired to do acts of kindness.
There are many benefits to being kind, the bible tells us that “a man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. (Proverbs 11:17 ESV)” Dr. David Hamilton states in his article Wired for Kindness, that there’s strong modern-day evidence that we have kindness genes, and that the fittest is not the strongest or the fastest, it’s the kindest – he or she with the greatest capacity to form strong bonds.
Health Benefits to Being Kind
Science has shown that if you do one single act of kindness a day, you not only reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression, but your body is flooded with the same hormones that help you and the one you are helping to be calmer, healthier, and happier. The act of kindness produces serotonin which helps heal wounds and help you relax, and make you feel good about yourself and others. It also produces endorphins, which help reduce pain, and oxytocin that help lower blood pressure and make you feel loving and loved. In addition, science has also proved that genuinely kind people have a 44% less chance of dying early and age slower than the average population.
Kindness and Weakness
I’m sure you heard someone say that kindness is a sign of weakness. Some believe that it’s a submissive outlook on life or that to be kind is to be soft and vulnerable. This is if far from the truth. In fact, some of the most thoughtful and kind people in history are also some of the strongest; Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teressa, and many others all displayed a mark of kindness. Still, none of them can compare to the compassion and kindness of Jesus, who was the strongest of them all. Jesus demonstrated kindness while powering strength through it. His life radiated with love in which He bestowed kindness to all, even while He hung on the cross.
Like Jesus, one who is kind opens their heart in the service of others (Mark 10:45), this is not a sign of weakness, but strength and courage because it takes a strong and courageous person to give up of themselves in the service of others. Genuine kindness is true strength because it is easier to ignore and walk the other way. Genuine kindness is not an act of weakness or capitulation but rather a powerful demonstration of confidence in your purpose. Kindness is a sign of true strength.
World Kindness Week
Did you know that there is a World Kindness Week? World Kindness Week was started by several humanitarian groups who came together on November 13, 1997, and made a Declaration of Kindness. What began as World Kindness Day turned into World Kindness Week, where everyone is encouraged to make a similar declaration of kindness and charity. It is a week to highlight good deeds in our communities. Acts of kindness and goodwill are common threads that bind us. This week has become globally recognized and is now widely celebrated everywhere. Participants from across the world come together to perform acts of kindness. The sole purpose of this week is to focus on the positivity that surrounds us every day. It’s a week to learn, teach, and share our kindness with others. The next kindness week is November 7 – 13, 2022.
The World Kindness event has transformed many people’s lives around the world. It went so well that it has gone from a single day to a week. Think of what the world would look like if this was an everyday occurrence, and everyone performed an act of kindness every day, we would not only heal the world, we would transform lives as well. Because of this, every day we have more and more opportunities to see the good in people, thus making life easier and more beautiful.
Year of Kindness
Let’s make 2022 the year of kindness by having the courage to do an act of kindness every day to those around you. Someone once said that “Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” And there is no such thing as a small act of kindness because every act of kindness creates a ripple effect that permeates lives with lasting results. Kindness in words promotes confidence. Kindness in thinking promotes profoundness. Kindness in giving promotes love, and would you agree this is what the world needs now. In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
Related Article(s): There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Day, You are God’s Masterpiece
Source: Can Babies Tell Right From Wrong? Babies at Yale University’s Infant Cognition Center respond to “naughty” and “nice” puppets., May 5, 2010
Only because of God’s Mercy and Grace extended to me. Jesus died, was buried, was Resurrected, was Exalted and finally because he sits at the Fathers right hand always making intercession for me. Do unto others as you what them to do to you. The Golden Rule encourages us to treat others as we would like to be treated. For instance, most people appreciate it when others treat them with respect, kindness, and love. Logically, then, we should “do the same way” to others.—Luke 6:31.
Examples of the Golden Rule:
Strengthen marriages.—Ephesians 5:28, 33.
Guide parents when raising their children.—Ephesians 6:4.
Promote good relations between friends, neighbors, and workmates.—Proverbs 3:27, 28; Colossians 3:13.
The emphasis of the Golden Rule is on giving. When Jesus gave the Golden Rule, he was speaking about how to treat not only people in general but even one’s enemies. (Luke 6:27-31, 35) Thus the Golden Rule encourages people to do good to all.
How can you apply the Golden Rule?
1.Be observant. Pay close attention to those around you. For instance, you may see someone struggling to carry groceries, hear of a neighbor who is hospitalized, or notice that a co-worker is discouraged. When you “look out . . . for the interests of others,” you will likely find opportunities to say or do something helpful.—Philippians 2:4.
2.Be empathetic. Imagine yourself in the other person’s place. How would you feel if you were in the same situation? (Romans 12:15) When you try to understand the feelings of others, you may feel moved to help them.
3.Be flexible. Keep in mind that everyone is different. What others would like to have done for them may not be the same as what you would want to have done for you. So, out of the many things you could do, try to choose what they will appreciate most.—1 Corinthians 10:24.
Amen! well said, brother. I’m always inspired by your comments.