Most of All be Kind

Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Glitter, sparkle, shine, but most of all be kind.

When my kids were growing up, our home was kind of messy. We crafted, drew, glued, and sewed. If the girls had a school project with friends, our house was often the one where they made dioramas, science projects, and book reports. On Valentine's Day and Christmas the cards required as much glitter as they would hold. Little hands scattered the shiny sparkles over white glue and made a fine mess. Sort of like the sprinkles we shook over Christmas cookies. When I attempted to vacuum the tiny, sparkly pieces, I inevitably left some behind. It seemed like I'd find glitter for months, after a project.

What would the world look like if we sprinkled kindness and compassion like glitter? So much so, that the kindness stuck around and was difficult to remove. In the third chapter of Colossians, Paul addresses the church. A place where kindness and compassion should indeed be present. Yet, he had to remind the very people who said they loved Jesus to be kind. I imagine if Paul lived today, he would preach his message in homes, workplaces, at sporting events, and in public spaces.

In a world where we can be anything, shouldn't we be kind? Considerate? Thoughtful? And shouldn't those traits be so ingrained we don't have to think about them. I know sometimes I don't feel kind, I get grumpy like everyone else, but Jesus calls me to have compassion, so I need to work on that daily.

Jesus loves people. When he walked the earth, he showed kindness. Even when he rebuked or corrected someone, he did it with love.

Sprinkle kindness like glitter, so it sticks around.