> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://brewedfaith.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seeking Kindness - URL: https://brewedfaith.ca/seeking-kindness/ - Published: 2024-11-21T19:23:04.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-14T04:50:29.000Z - Author: Tim Gibb - Tags: Journeying, Leadership, Soul Care, bible, character, christianity, compassion, faith, Following Jesus, god, Jesus, kindness, love, Relationships, seeking, #Migrated-1786683019158, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-14 00:50 What if we were actually kind to one another? It's a call to communicate the love and grace of God to others. What if we actually focused our attention on being, and then acting out kindness. We think we do, but our tone and eyes tell the story of our hearts. Let's be really honest with ourselves. We are always, it would seem (and our words and actions tell the story perfectly), after what is best for ourselves. From the way we vote to the way we drive, from how we ask to the manner in which we "make a suggestion", we are consciously (or for some, unconsciously) driven by our own needs and wants. Paul illustrates what Jesus is talking about in John 15, in the well-known encouragement to the Galatians (5:22-23) when he lays out what the fruit born out of union with Jesus should look like. One of the natural reflections of the fruit born out of union with Jesus is kindness. Just to be clear, kindness is not "being nice". Kindness is a reflection from a deep seated love and patience brought out through ongoing communion with Jesus. "Being nice" is plastering a smile and a gentle tone to one's voice for a brief period of time. Kindness is a character trait of long obedience to Jesus, whereas niceness is limited to a person's social adaptability. What we see in our world today is a great deal of niceness and no shortage of cruelty and aggression, or as my kids would say when they were young, "people being mean". The barrage of consistent and regular abuses that find their way to each of us on a daily basis seems endless. It finds us on our social media feeds, on our commute to and from work and school, in the hockey rink and even in the grocery store line. It's no wonder that even in the church we find ourselves at odds with the call that Jesus has for us to BE KIND. You se we are called to so much more. More than superficial smiles and glances. We are called to bear fruit. Fruit that comes from walking with Jesus, from being intimately connected and rooted in him. The fruit that we bear is evidenced through our kindness. Not our niceness, but our kindness. We must be kind. We must be people who stand out in the crowded streets of hecklers and hurters and show and evidence kindness. Kindness in our everyday. When people are looking for human kindness, it should be Jesus people that they find. Kindness is not a mask or a face we put on when we are with people but it is an evidence of being with Jesus. Kindness is the joy-filled glance and smile that lingers, the encouraging handshake that feels warm and gentle (yes, still firm). Kindness is sitting with someone and lingering with soft patience, silent embraces, and responsive waves and repeated words of encouragement. Kindness is time spent in prayer for others, in thinking of them and reminding them of their image-bearingness and dignity, the grace and love that the Father in heaven has for them. Kindness is expressing the gospel to someone, by sharing, by endeavouring to be deeply needed advocates for those who can't speak for themselves. To be kind, really be kind, the checklist is so very simple. Ready? - walk closely with Jesus by: - praying constantly (1 Thess. 5:17) - hearing from his word (Psalm 1:2) - sitting or walking quietly with God (Psalm 46:10) - follow Jesus's example (Luke 9:23) Yup, no easy remedy. Just being with Jesus and following after him. This isn't a 30 second fix, or a 5-day master class. This is lifetime goal setting. Let's live in a conscious effort to be kind. Kindness opens the doors to real and lasting relationship. Opportunities to share gospel love and grace. Bear fruit. Fruit that exemplifies kindness in all its dimensions. See the hearts of those around you change, see your own heart change, as we become more like Jesus Christ.