It’s easy to be kind when it suits us, when it makes us look good, or when we think it might get us something, but true kindness stems from within. It’s rooted in Christ, and grounded in faith. It doesn’t appear when it suits us or when it’s simply convenient. It gives on difficult days and extends to difficult people. If it doesn’t stem from the heart, you’ve got to wonder what’s fueling your kindness. Is it pride? Is it the approval of others? Is it a feeling of importance? Is it for personal gain?
If we’re only kind when it’s easy, we’re not modeling the kindness of Christ. Remember the feeding of the 5,000? Most of us have heard this story, but how many of us have stopped to consider the events that led to this story? Opening our Bibles to Matthew 14, we read the story of John the Baptist, a good friend and relative of Jesus’ who was beheaded. His death was so horrific that his head was served on a platter and delivered to Herod’s mistress Herodias at a party. I can only imagine the laughing and scoffing that went on that day at the expense of this precious and innocent life.
Upon hearing about what happened to John, Jesus slipped away privately to a solitary place. We all need a little space when we’re grieving, don’t we? But that wasn’t the case with Christ. The Bible tells us that the crowds followed him. Whether He craved solitude at that moment or not, Jesus had compassion on them. And even after spending the day healing and ministering to them, He insisted on feeding them all before sending them off.
Subscribe so you don’t miss a post:
Tilling the Soil
Read Matthew 14:1-18 where you’ll find the story of the beheading of John the Baptist followed by the feeding of the 5,000.
Planting Hope
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. (Colossians 3:12, KJV)
Your donations help to support this ministry as we share the gospel with over 500,000 women around the world. Click here to donate
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife