A Special Kindness

I was deeply touched by the devotion I read yesterday morning. Apparently, "do an act of kindness" is not original with this generation. The devotion centered on 2 Samuel 9, where King David wanted to "show a special kindness" for his dear friend Jonathan's sake. Jonathan was not only David's best friend, he had also saved David from his father Saul's murderous intentions. It seems that the deceased Jonathan had a son Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet. David's emissary found Mephibosheth, the king took him under his wing, and King David provided him land, servants, and a permanent place at the king's own table---all in honor of Jonathan.

This devotion singled out kindness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22) and as "a spot on the Apostle Paul's 'love' list" (Love is kind, 1 Cor. 13:4 NRSV). It also holds space in God's formula for Godly living: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). Kindness. It's such a little thing, so easy to do. At the same time, it preaches volumes about the person extending it. Is there someone in your life who stands out for some reason--someone whom you might want to honor by extending "a special kindness" to someone in their name? I have one and I decided to do so, in honor of my spiritual mentor, my mother-in-law Jeanne Houk, the woman who taught me God's love by the way she lived her life. One incident that stands out in my mind is the year she packed up the Houk family's Thanksgiving Day dinner and gave it to a poor family. The Houks--all six of them--had soup for dinner that day.

If you have someone whom you would like to honor similarly, please let me know--now or in the near future, and I will share it with the rest of my readers. Isn't this a good way to share God's greatest act of special kindness, the gift of his son Jesus, during this his special time of the year?

In the spirit of loving-kindness,
Margaret