Four letter words
often have a negative connotation, but one four letter word gets far too little
notice or use: the word “kind.”
Dictionary definitions include “the quality of being gentle, caring, and
helpful.” Curiously, as bad four letter
words have their own little group, kind is in a far more appealing cluster with
goodness, mercy, pity, love, grace, favor, compassion, tenderness, etc. In the scriptures, the “love chapter” in 1
Corinthians 13 begins its description with “Love is patient; love is kind.” Such simple words to impart such deep truths
about real love. A friend has an interesting saying on her emails: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting
some battle.” I try to remember that
when someone misses “a kindness opportunity” when I am out and about. For example, someone might jump ahead in a
line or act unbecomingly.
Having just
reached the ripe old age of 70, life has afforded me countless experiences of
kindness and some stinging ones of purposeful unkindness. Now that my husband, the main human source of
kindness and caring for me, has moved on ahead to the place Jesus prepares for
His children, I appreciate acts or words of kindness even more. I think I am operating on a kindness deficit
right now. One experience when I was
making my first plane trip from start to finish on my own to visit our son in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, stands out in my mind as kind. I have only flown a few times since my
husband’s death, and I am usually off to a bit of a sad start just missing his
company. Some limitations in my
movements add another challenge for me, beginning with going through security,
taking off my shoes, getting things in those bins promptly, etc.
I was on the last leg of the two-flight journey
and a
bit exhausted when a tall, attractive young woman though casually clad
and little make-up--imagine Faith Hill at 30-35—came from behind me as we were
about to walk into the plane and asked if she could carry my backpack. It was heavy with a laptop (I never used),
and I was fumbling along using my cane and hanging on to my purse. Truly, it was almost like an angelic rescue
must be. She took her seat a couple rows
behind me and asked the flight attendant to let me know she would help me with
the back pack again when we landed if I waited for her.
For faster and
farther walking, I have one of those walker things with a little seat and
wheels. I have held out calling it by
its proper name since my husband brought it home from Walgreens a few years
back when I was especially weak from a more severe flare of what seems to be
something in addition to the neurological troubles that affect my walking. I was not happy about using it just like I
was not happy about using a cane at first, either. But I digress, as the saying goes. This walker is tagged and left like a
stroller would be to be loaded separately when I fly, so I have to wait for it
right outside the plane as people walk hurriedly by me. Upon landing, the kind passenger brought out
my backpack and stayed there with me until the walker arrived, too. I had told her she didn’t have to wait (about
5-10 minutes), but she insisted on remaining by my side, telling me that if I
were her mother, she would want someone to help her as she was helping me. Over the wait, I asked her what brought her
to Grand Rapids. It was a business trip
for Target stores, and my guess would be that she was an upper level employee
of some kind—yet willing to offer humble service to an older lady she had never
met before.
I am blessed even
thinking back on this experience of kindness and compassion in glorious display
although probably unnoticed by anyone around.
No ribbons, no fanfare, just quietly given goodness to a stranger. But, don’t be fooled about this act of
kindness’s real value. As Jesus says,
“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me” (Mat. 25:40). Kindness
opportunities acted on are valuable, indeed.
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