From The Hidden Life
Kindness
“Be ye kind one to another.” (Ephesians 4:32) The nature and the extent of the kindness we are to have to one another are plainly suggested by the remainder of the text. As God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us, so we for His sake should forgive one another. This implies that in tenderheartedness and kindness we should be Christlike. As He is kind and tender to us, so we should be kind and tender to others. Kindness is not something to be put on outwardly but is to adorn the inward man; it is a disposition of the heart. He whose hidden man of the heart is adorned with the sweet grace of kindness finds great delight in making others happy. Kindness is exercised toward others by cheerfully doing what we can to lighten their burdens, to aleviate their suffering, to supply their needs, to encourage and cheer them.
Kindness is a fruit of love. “suffereth long, and is kind.” (1 Corinthians 13:4) We are kind to those whom we love. It is only when love fills our hearts that we can be “kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.” (Romans 12:10)
I will ask you, my dear reader, a question, not to condemn you, but to awaken you to a thoughtful consideration of your life. Are you a husband? If so, are you as kind to your wife as you should be? Do you cheerfully and delightfully do what you can to lighten her burdens and to sweeten her life? Have you a deep concern for her happiness? Do you sympathize with her as you should when she is suffering? Are your words always as soft, as mild, and as full of tenderness and love as they should be? Is there ever a tinge of bitterness in your words? Do they have the least sharpness or hastiness? Are you a wife? read over the above questions and apply them to yourself. Are you a father or a mother? Are you as kind to those tender olive plants that God has given you as you should be? Does there sometimes a little crossness or sharpness get into your words? Oh! be careful, be prayerful, dearly beloved, lest there come over you a fretful, careless feeling very similar to impatience or anger, and cause you to speak too hastily and too harshly. Be careful to keep mild and sweet under the most trying circumstances. Be a conqueror in every hour of temptation.
I think I can almost hear someone saying, “I am not as kind to my family as I should be.” Are you endeavoring to improve? There is hope for the man who realizes that he is not as patient and kind as he should be, but who is putting forth every effort and earnestly pleading with God that he may be more kind. Cultivate the disposition of kindness. It is a sweet and beautiful grace. It is full of perfume. It will cheer and gladden the hearts of others. It will brighten your home and make it an Eden. Put on, O beloved saint, put on kindness. Do not allow ugly feelings to creep over you and cause you to act hastily or to speak harshly. Give such no place in your life. Impatient feelings mar the image of Jesus in the soul, and they will rob your life of its sweet fragrance. Always be cheerful, never gloomy; always wear a smile, never a frown; always be kind, and never ill or impatient—if you would have a close walk with God and be like Him.