abounding kindness

My mom once told me the best marriage advice she ever received was to "out do one another with kindness." I think love is best exhibited through kindness. I say this realizing how hard it is to practice - in reality, it takes a tremendous amount of energy and intentionality to live this out.

Acts of kindness do not come naturally to me. A few years ago, when I was early in my humanitarian aid career I took my dad with me to India. We spent the time with orphans, widows, families ravaged by AIDS or poverty, and with people groups that are discriminated against simply because of the family they were born in to (caste system in India, but, every civilization has their prejudices). I spent a lot of time playing with kids, holding the hands of women and crying with them, and generally trying to figure out what I could possibly do to help. At the end of one of these days my dad said with tears in his eyes, "when you were younger, I would have never imagined you doing this kind of work." We both knew what he meant. I started off life very ambitious and focused on what I could get out of situations. I'd been hurt deeply and my heart had grown a hard protective barrier, it was cold, but not dead. Over the years, God has worked a miracle on me. He healed hurts, he restored hope, he inspired me to share this love with others in need. I am still ambitious, but now I try to pursue eternal causes rather than selfish ones.

My inspiration scripture for this year is, Proverbs 14:31. It says:

Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

I want to do both these things - be kind to the needy and honor God. I believe the definition of needy is broad. Yes, it includes those suffering in poverty or difficult circumstances. But, we all need attention. We all need someone to listen. We need kindness.

Mark Twain has a quote about kindness being a universal language - "kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." I think kindness is key to help tear down cultural barriers, which is important since I now live in a foreign country where I don't speak the language and make errors in custom and communication daily.

Since I believe in authenticity, I will also be practicing this at home. It is my intention that Kenyon, also, be the recipient of abounding kindness.

What is your new year's resolution or theme for 2010?