THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS

Kindness is nurturing and sustaining.  As such, it is a fundamental and indispensable human need.   In one of William Shakespeare’s well known plays, “Macbeth,” he writes about “the milk of human kindness.” As such, kindness is, indeed, life-giving food for every soul.  In truth, mutual kindness is such an extraordinary gift – so blessed, so beneficial – that none of us can maintain genuine peace of mind or find fulfillment in its absence.

The Apostle Paul admonished the Church of Ephesus, and by extension all future generations of Christians, “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)  If the entire world, especially those who profess relationships with Christ, would pause for one moment before we speak to make sure that our words are positive sources of healing and hope (not weapons of anger or resentment), lasting peace among individuals, groups and nations would be much easier to achieve.

Before Belinda and I married, we had what I refer to as “The Talk.”  We shared our life stories – the good, the bad, the ugly – and then we made what is perhaps the most important pledge that can undergird the divine covenant of marriage.  On that day, we vowed that, no matter what, we would treat each other with mutual respect and kindness.  It is an innate need that is so fundamental and so powerful, that true kindness even trumps human sexuality.  Think about it.  Allow me to be transparent.  It is not always easy to keep our agreement.  Marriage is hard work, no matter what anyone says.  Whenever marriages encounter moments of frustration, upset, grief, anger, or disappointment, it is so easy to revert to the carnality and pride that becomes the opening pitch in ‘the blame game.’  That is why self-control is a key component of “the fruit of the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

Question: Who do you and I need to forgive…to offer acceptance and kindness…before the sun sets today? 

Question: Whose flaws, failures, foibles and fiascoes do you and I need to “cover” with love, instead of exposing to pride, anger, rejection, or indifference? 

The Apostle Peter said it so eloquently and succinctly: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8, NIV)  In the Pauline epistles, we learn that true believers refuse to keep an active accounting of the wrongdoings of others.  Quite the contrary; instead, we who are under the covenant of love, somehow learn to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things.  (I Corinthians, chapter 13)

In your quest to exemplify kindness, prayerfully consider the following gems of wisdom: 

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

-Mark Twain

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
-Albert Schweitzer

 “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”

-Og Mandino

My own writing today has motivated me to make a phone call.  I refuse to judge.  I will not hold on to the past.  I will forgive.  I will love.  I will be kind.  I will strive – with all my body, soul and spirit – to become more and more like Jesus Christ.  Perhaps, you and I can humbly approach the throne of God with this mutual prayer:  “Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for Your forgiveness and for a lasting endowment of Your very essence – LOVE – so that we may recognize our own faults and sins and so that we may be genuinely loving, forgiving, open and kind to others.  We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!