Sowing seeds of kindness

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Happy May! In last week's article, I talked about how we can strive to have the faith of a dog, being released and determined, fueled with energy and excitement, to chase away demons, walk with Jesus, and bring others to Christ. This faith is unmatched because no matter how many times dogs fail, they continue with the same energy, holding onto the faith that they can accomplish the goal the next time they get the chance. I wanted to continue along the vein of faith but think of it in a way that we can apply to our behavior, when we practice this faith.

Often, I think it can get overwhelming when we consider how small we are in the world. How many other people are there like us, wondering what one person could do to make a difference? We are caught in this conundrum that if we talk about Jesus too much, we are labeled and avoided, but if we do not talk about Jesus, we feel as though we are the ones avoiding our religion and what we stand for. How can we be excited about talking about Jesus and not scare off people who do not understand? How can we guide people towards Christ without sounding like that person, preaching all the time? How can we make a difference when we are just one small person in the world? I have come to the conclusion that the answer to these questions, along with a plethora of other questions we ask ourselves, is kindness.

Kindness is always the message we want to send. Kindness is the best way to leave a lasting impression, the best way to represent our Lord, the best way to welcome conversation. Kindness is a way to talk about God, without talking about God. How we represent ourselves in this world is a direct reflection of what we believe. This is why being kind is important. We can make a difference in the world by being the representation of what we want the world to look like and I am a firm believer that it begins with and survives through kindness.

When I think about kindness, I often ponder what holds us back from being kind? Think about it--how many people walk around without a smile on their faces? How many times have we felt shoved aside and silly for our optimistic view on life? It is something that will continue to baffle me, I am sure. We have so many reasons to be thankful--there are so many sources of joy, big and small, that the Lord shows us each day that regardless of the reason to be unhappy, we can match that with blessings upon blessings that we encounter. Looking into reasons why these people, and us sometimes, are not kind, I have realized that sometimes we are not kind because we have not forgiven someone for something they have done to us. Sometimes the things they have done have deeply cut us, hurt us, and caused a lot of damage. In this way, it can be a situation that takes quite a bit of time to reach the point of forgiveness. I am sure you can relate to this with a situation of your own. They are serious and are moments when we can rely on our Lord to help guide us through them. Forgiveness is a challenging aspect. As a Christian, I pray that any of you that are withholding forgiveness can shed that heavy coat and let the Lord handle it. Forgiving someone is freeing. It might not be easy, but it is freeing. You forgive them for the peace in your own soul, not necessarily because they are sorry for their behavior. I do want to add in at this point that just because you have forgiven someone does not mean that you must be around them or allow them to disrespect you. Kindness can be genuine, but distant, and learning how to handle people who have caused your heart to ache, for whatever reason, is often rooted in kindness. This kindness can simply be politeness or distance or prayer. The Lord will help guide you in your journey of forgiveness, but I find it important to say that kindness does not mean that you must endure something that crosses any boundaries you have set for yourself, whatever those boundaries may be. As mentioned above, these are moments and decisions that need to be navigated with the Lord close by your side.

Another reason we hold back our kindness is because we do not feel as though our kindness will hold any weight, change any circumstance, or help us earn kindness directed back at us. Sometimes we are kind and it is answered with anger, bitterness, or simply nothing. We are sometimes ignored completely when we try to reach out, or we are answered with a foul expression or a snarky comment. This can be disheartening and can easily wear us down. Our 'kind battery' can drain when there is no kindness returned, no happiness found, no positive response. When we drain our battery to empty we are left with nothing, just like those who drained it. We then fail to radiate joy and we close ourselves off. Just today, at the grocery store, my mom and I had our grocery carts and were walking to our car in the rain and wind. We were in the parking lot and two cars cut us off. It was frustrating, as we were cold and wet, and the people in their cars were dry and warm. They could have hit us! It drained some of my battery to respond to this with anything but frustration. This interaction could have directly impacted how I behaved with the next person I was around.

My point in saying all of these things is to recognize how hard it is to be kind sometimes. While we are often forced to make difficult decisions, navigate relationships, set boundaries, and more, it is important to keep it all in perspective. We can remind ourselves that the people we come into contact with all have 100% unique worldviews, they have different walks of life than us, they see everything in a different way. These perspectives are dependent upon their past, what experiences they have encountered, feelings they have felt, people they have known, mistakes and successes, choices they have made, and so on. We not only come into contact with people in different stages of their journey, but there is no possible way to understand all of the intricacies that have brought them to that point. Additionally, when we meet people, form relationships with them (good and bad), and cross paths with them, we are also a work in progress. We, just like those we meet, are not finished yet. We change, grow, learn, adapt, and shift as time goes on. With all of this being said, sometimes people we meet have such different worldviews that it can be difficult to connect at any level. We can have poor experiences with some due to different reasons. And something I have learned within the last few years of my life is that sometimes you just do not get along. When these things happen, it can be really difficult for us to still be kind. However, this does not mean that being kind is a hopeless effort or that we should abandon the idea.

Now that I have addressed how difficult it can be to be kind, I want to consider the ways in which being kind is our superpower. Being kind is how we are going to change the world. I mean it, my friends. We can make a difference. Galatians 6:7-10 reads "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." This is why I titled this article 'sowing seeds of kindness.' We are kind to others because we are sowing to please the Spirit. The Lord knows how difficult it can be to be kind to others; He knows how this world can tempt us to fall into it and practice its ways. Therefore, He is reminding us of why we should be kind to others. Expressing kindness, even when met with adversity, is an opportunity to show our resilience and our faith in the Lord.

As we sow seeds here on earth, we reap eternal life. I find it interesting that our reward is in Heaven. God does not say that we will or will not see the impact of our kindness, but instead He promises that our persistence and determination to do good will bear fruit. In this way, we need to rely on our faith. We need to trust in the Lord to cultivate the seeds we have sown. We cannot make the seed germinate and grow, we cannot provide all that a seed needs to survive, like rain and sunshine, and we cannot determine which of our seeds will grow and which will end up not sprouting. All we can do is plant the seed. We can be kind. We can smile at the stranger in the grocery store, we can forgive the person who has hurt us, we can be polite to workers at restaurants. We can practice being kind in these ways, and in so many more. They are all opportunities for us to sow seeds. The rest we leave up to God. He will use our seeds of kindness as a gateway to let His rain, sunshine, and nurturing to help that seed take root, germinate, grow, and blossom.

My point is that you never know what seed is going to take root. A few years ago, I heard a pastor at our church relate this concept to farmers and it was a fantastic message. How can we explain why one seed grows and another doesn't? The farmer waters, fertilizes, and plants the seeds all the same way. The sun shines and it rains on the field all the same way. Even with all of this, some seeds grow and some don't. Even with the guarantee that not all of the seeds grow, does this prevent the farmer from doing what he does? Does the farmer change his treatment of the seeds, depending on where in his field it is planted? Does he give up planting because not all of them will grow? The answer to all of these is no, of course not. The farmer keeps sowing his seeds. Some of them will grow and some of them won't. Once the seeds are planted, the farmer must rely on his faith and trust that God will bring his seeds to fruition. God will nurture the ones that need to grow and will use the farmer's planting as a way to bring and sustain life. Just like the farmer, we can only plant the seeds and practice trusting in the Lord to be able to make them grow. To sow the seeds is to be kind.

Truly, we never know what one simple act of kindness can do for someone. Think about how much it brightens your day when someone smiles at you when you are shopping, when someone waves as they pass by, when someone compliments your new haircut, etc. Being kind is how we can represent God in this world. We can share the joy in our hearts because we are saved eternally. The seeds in us sprouted and grew and now we have the ability to sow seeds here on earth before we reach heaven. These seeds could save souls. It brings me much happiness to consider the ways in which little old me might be able to make a difference by being kind. I hope that you feel the same way and I look forward to being able to practice our faith together. The more seeds of kindness we sow, the more chances are for them to grow. Happy planting, my friends!