““…put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing with one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:12-13
As a fruit of the Spirit, kindness is a characteristic of a person who is living surrendered to the Holy Spirit, enabling him or her with a supernatural ability to be kind or benevolent with others. The Greek word for kindness is also translated gentleness, meaning to deal kindly with another person. The opposite of being kind or gentle would be to treat a person with severity or harshness.
The fruits of the Spirit are qualities found in the heart of our Father God. God is a merciful God that understands us and deals with us in a gentle and kind manner. Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is meant to turn you away from your sins (NIV)?” Also in Titus 3:4-5 we read, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…”
With that said, we cannot ignore Paul’s writing in Romans 11 where he writes, “Consider the goodness and the severity of God.” God is gentle, but God does not compromise His holiness. The way to salvation is through repentance. If God’s kindness is rejected, the severity of His judgment will honor that denial. Yet God continues to plead with people to accept His love and turn away from self-sufficiency and sin.
Jesus also showed us a gentle, kind love, even for those who hurt Him. They rejected Him, mocked Him, criticized His ministry, and put Him to death. The Bible said Jesus was gentle and lowly in heart, calling for those who were wearing from self-sufficiency to come to Him and rest in the Father’s grace.
We can walk in that same kindness and gentleness, but only with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is from living in surrender to the Holy Spirit and dwelling in the presence of God that makes a way for us to experience His power to transform and transcend, becoming more like our Father and our Savior.
Application: When dealing with someone who has an offense, it seems even the gentlest of approach can be taken the wrong way. In that case, know the rejection comes from the offense, and don’t take it personally. Don’t let their rejection stop you from reaching out to others.