What Does it Mean to Have a Kind Heart?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “truly kind?” Do you think of someone being friendly or nice because they think it is socially appropriate? Or, do you think of someone being loving and caring for another in all situations? There is a difference between these two types of situations because while God always desires for us to be kind to others, He desires even more for us to live a lifestyle that truly cares about and loves others from the heart. It should never feel like a chore. 

When we examine the Bible, we see that God’s commands only reflect His loving nature. 1 John 5:2-3 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³ For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” If the whole point of kindness is to express God’s love, why aren’t we eager to express more and more of it?

When we are born into the family of believers, our eyes are opened more to the faith we have accepted. We begin to know more than what we did when we first believed, and our lives will begin to show God’s fruit. Even though we may be fully devoted to Jesus upon accepting Him, our sinful nature will still try to creep up on us from time to time. This is the nature that holds grudges against others who have wronged us. This sinful nature does not stop and think about other people’s feelings and wants revenge. Did you know that it is not our responsibility to pay back others for the wrongs they have committed to us or to society in general? Deuteronomy 32:35 God says “It is mine to avenge; I will repay.” God is the ultimate Judge and we do not have the same job as Him. He is the only One who knows how to truly pay back someone for all that they have done. It is our job to keep showing love and kindness- no matter what. A big reason we may not carry through with this is because of how cruel many people are. Questions like, “Why would I show kindness to that person if they were unfairly rude to other people?” or, “If they don’t deserve my love and kindness, why would I ever give it to them?” arise in all of our minds. It’s not wrong to ask questions and explore them because when we do explore, we come face to face with God.

Spoiler alert: You will sometimes fail. But, the fact that God does not is so comforting. Rest in the knowledge and truth of the Lord, and you will find all the kindness you need to keep being kind to others in all situations. When we know God, our hearts change and we realize how kind He has been to us all along. 

Isn’t that truly amazing? When we search for answers, we will always come to God in some way (whether we realize it or not). We discover that He lavishes His love and kindness on us even though we do not deserve it. So, let’s paint this picture: the undeserving lavishing love on the undeserving. This clearly represents the entire human race, which is fallen. If God started this chain of love, He wants us to continue it. The fact that He lavishes love on us is mind-blowing and proves what a good God we can serve. The fact that we are undeserving and still receive it is miraculous. 1 Chronicles 16:34 says “O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His loving kindness is everlasting.”