Walking in Kindness

All the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing at the Iams household. I set a goal this advent to be very intentional about prayer and reflection, preparing my heart during this season. Of course that didn’t mean I was letting go of the decorating, shopping, baking, moving the Shepherd, (like the elf on the shelf) class Christmas party, school Christmas shop, traditions…are you tired yet?? Me too! I wanted to be able to do both with excellence. I felt like I was managing all the things well until I rear ended, I prefer to say love tapped, someone at a stop sign rushing  from one thing to the next. I was in true disbelief that I had just made such stupid mistake. As I was pulling off with my four kids in the back, I was ramping myself up to be defensive and was ready to let my maiden name come flying out when I had to face the other driver. When I approached the driver, she greeted me with such kindness and compassion. I instantly broke out into tears, apologized for my negligence and my defensiveness washed away.

Later that evening, she even texted me to make sure I was ok! I took that opportunity to thank her for being so kind in a situation that I didn’t deserve it. Her response amazed me again, she said, “You absolutely did deserve kindness. It was a total accident and anyone would be silly to handle the situation any different. I truly believe kindness is part of God’s grace and we can all use it especially in times like that.” Wow. Just wow. She lived out Psalms 145:8 “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” Her actions lead me to repentance instead of defensiveness. Another biblical principle, “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4

I like to think of myself as a kind person, but this stranger challenged me and inspired me to be better. It made me think am I truly kind or only being kind when it feels easy to be because the circumstance makes it feel that way. I don’t want to just be kind because it’s a good habit, I want to be kind because I’m rooted in Christ. As believers, kindness  should be something we do, not something that we necessarily need to feel. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27

The best part is, she probably didn’t feel like she did anything special because it flowed from her so naturally, but she had no idea she was being a witness in that moment! Extending kindness and grace to me not only diffused a situation, but literally inspired me to be better. So I want to challenge all of you too! Next time you’re held to respond to someone with anger, pause and choose respond in love. Ask yourself, are you kind when it’s easy, or are you exemplifying a fruit of the spirit…KINDNESS.