Every Day is Kindness Day

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  
 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another,
 forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 
Above all, clothe yourselves with love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-17  (NRSV)

This is World Kindness Day 2018 and I am pondering the myriad experiences of kindness which have enriched my life through the years. In ministry I was regularly astonished by the generosity of spirit and kindness exhibited by the disciples of Christ who were members of the congregations I served. Often their acts of caring "flew under the radar" of public recognition yet strengthened the fabric of their communities of faith, the broader community, and the world.

On my settlement charge in Newfoundland a fire left a family with no insurance homeless. The outport rallied with collections in each of the congregations which were often uncomfortably competitive with one another. Men went to the woods and cut trees to be milled into lumber for framing. A new house was ready for the bereft family in weeks.

A teen in Bowmanville began to volunteer at our meal ministry with a friend. She was soon joined by one of her siblings, then two more, and they were faithful in their practical kindness for a couple of years.

The team of volunteers from different faith groups who brought nearly two dozen Syrian refugees to Belleville and has continued to support them in the transition to life in Canada inspired me and still does.

The truth is that there are religious people who are often cruel to one another and to those they have deemed outsiders. Some who wax on about the grace and acceptance of Christ are far from gracious when to comes to the perceived sins of others. I'm grateful that I have witnessed and been the recipient of so much kindness from those who live the love of Christ our saviour and friend.

Surely every day is kindness day for Christians.