April 17
Kind Words Are Priceless
but a good word maketh it glad.
My dentist was in pain. Oh nothing to do with his teeth, just his demeanor.
He seemed crushed, defeated, downcast, and discouraged. He normally was a happy
fellow, chatting and telling jokes as he worked. But not today. The few things
he said revealed he was not his normal joyful self.
When I left his office I stopped nearby and
bought a silly greeting card and a bunch of flowers. The message I wrote in the
card said he was a great dentist, etc etc. Just a simple cheery note of thanks
for being a great dentist and caring for my dental needs so well.
I went back to the office and left the flowers
and card on the receptionist's desk without a word and left.
A few days later the receptionist saw me in a
restaurant and stopped to tell me that the dentist had been sort of discouraged
for a couple weeks. But after reading my card he had brightened up and was
nearly back to his old happy self by the end of the day. She thanked me for
what I had done.
Several years later when he retired he brought a folder into the room as I sat in the dental chair. He opened the folder and showed me he had kept the card I had left, and told me how much it had meant to him.
But I had not done very much. The card and
flowers cost only a few dollars, and it only took a few minutes of my time. The
benefit to the Dentist was far greater than anything I had done.
The point I am trying to make is that kindness
is priceless. By that I mean kindness does not cost anything. A smile is free.
A kind word can be given without any cost at all. But while they are “price-less” they
certainly are not worthless.
There are many examples of kindness in the
Scriptures. In Genesis Joseph’s brothers had sold him to a camel caravan
because they were so jealous of him. Years later when they had to go to Egypt
to buy food they did not recognize him. Instead of being angry for what they
had done to him he offered them kindness.
Ge 50:21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you,
and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
There are many examples of Christ lifting up the
downcast. He caused the blind to see, restored the deaf to hearing, forgave the
woman taken in adultery, etc.
Too often in our world today people insulate
themselves from others. I have been on crowded subway trains and have seen
people who were surrounded by a crowd but looked alone. It seems even more so today
as people have their ears plugged into some MP3 type device, or have their
phone glued to their ear. They are nearly oblivious to their surroundings and
do not interact with those they pass even so much as a pleasant smile.
As Christians we should be a light shining in a
dark world. We are told in Scripture to be kind to others. You have no way of
knowing how heavily burdened some people are or how much good a simple smile
and kind word may help.
In large cities it is harder to interact with
others because no one wants to get involved with some odd ball, or take the
chance of being reproved if they say something. But I have found it is still
possible to say a pleasant word to someone, even if they do not respond.
Our thought for today is to be more aware of
those around you and less focused on ourselves and the many things we are
hurrying to get done. It is easy to be unaware of those around us, and blind to
their need for a little kindness. Even just a word and a smile.
It is not only a nice thing to do but the Bible
tells us that is how we should be always.
Ro 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love…
1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind…
Col 3:12 Put on therefore, …. kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
There is a wonderful piece of poetry hanging on a wall in our home. It says.
I have wept in the night
For my shortness of sight
that to somebody's need I was blind
But I never have yet
felt a tinge of regret
for being a little too kind.
Now, before you just nod in agreement. Pick up your phone, or grab a note card and be kind to someone that may need it. Remember to say a kind word to someone today. I know you will because you are a kind and caring type of person. Bless you.
Eph 4:32 And be ye
kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
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