Kindness, A Lost Art

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Mark Twain
Are you a kind person?  Mark Twain wrote: “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”  I’ve met many people who speak and behave in kind ways, but when you get to know them better their kindness has, well, defined limits – they are kind to a point, then not so much. I think kindness is more than just being nice; more than being polite and sweet; more than an entire generation hearing & using the words “random acts of kindness” then immediately thinking of Oprah. I wonder if being kind, without boundaries or expectations, is a lost art in America. Maybe our society has changed the definition of kindness. How would you describe it? The principal word used to express kindness in the Old Testament is chesed or hesed. This word bears the connotation of a loyal love, which manifests itself not in emotions but in actions. So if you say you are a kind person do you think Oprah or Ruth? Check out The Book of Ruth, where characters in this brief story from Naomi to Ruth to Boaz behave in a manner that demonstrates the concept of hesed, Godly kindness that is not self-serving but full of divine rewards. Just a Sunday Thought…Pastor Keith