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Day Six: Kindness

There is a memory I have in my head that I just cannot seem to shake away. I remember one summer my family went to San Diego for a conference for my dad. My mom, my siblings, and I were there simply for the vacation part of the trip. One day as my dad was in one of his meetings, mom decided to head out with us and get us some pizza for dinner. She walked into the store with the exact cash she believed was needed according to what dad told her and the standards we were used to back home. Yet, mom came out of the store in a hurry with the pizza, grabbed something real quick, and told us she would be right back again. 

When she finally returned she explained to my siblings and me the situation. See, she was just a few cents off the amount needed for the purchase. We always kept spare change in the car so she knew that she had the amount needed in the vehicle. At this point, none of us kids had a way to communicate with her on our devices because there was no internet in the car. The store employee would not let my mom leave the store without paying the full price, though. My mom, as she explained, was freaking out. She was just a mama bear wanting to feed her kids. She knew that she had the money just a few feet away, but the store would not let her get that. She was holding up the line and she did not know what to do. Yet, someone in the line was able to give her the spare change that she needed. My mom had rushed back into the store to pay back the woman who helped her in the store. My mom also brought a spare water bottle we had prepared in the cooler unless any of us got thirsty while we were out and about. The thing was the woman who gave my mom the spare change was a homeless woman who we had earlier seen digging through the trash for recyclable materials for some of that spare change.  
This woman showed real kindness and generosity. She was willing to share what little she had with a complete stranger, not knowing if she would really ever be paid back or not. The woman had saved up enough change to get herself a dinner (something that sadly does not happen daily for those who are homeless). Yet, she was willing to spare a good portion of the money that she had to my mom who had the money to pay for it if she could just go get it.
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, kind means "of sympathetic or helpful nature". It takes multiple steps to be kind. First off, you often need to realize others' needs. It's hard to be kind in a specific way if there is not a need that the person needs fixing. Secondly, we need to have the capability to help fix their situation. Sometimes kindness does not solve the problem, but helps numb it or partially helps the situation. Ephesians 4:32 says "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." We, as Christians, are called to be kind to others. Tenderhearted and forgiving are both mentioned in this verse as well. Kindness can be an action left alone, but it is often partnered with something else. For example, being forgiving is being kind towards someone.
We are called to be kind towards others. What is something that you will do to show kindness towards others in this next week? 
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