This month’s theme focuses on kindness. If you have not noticed, our themes are based on the fruit of the Spirit. As children of God we are called to live by the Spirit giving all glory to God and in turn bear fruit worthy of that call. (John 15:8; Galatians 6:16-25) This aspect of the fruit, kindness, is often replaced with niceness; however, there are big differences between being kind and being nice.

Being kind means giving others what they need according to God’s will (Roman 11:22-23), whereas, being nice means giving the other person what they want, even if it is not what God wants. Being nice focuses on pleasing others, but being kind focuses on pleasing God. Being kind requires us to tell the truth in love (2 John 1:4-6), whereas being nice requires we tell people what they want to hear. Being nice worries about pleasing the other person or what they might think of you, while being kind focuses on what best for the other person in light of salvation (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). The biggest difference between being nice and being kind is that when you are kind to someone you value their soul in light of eternity over making them happy in the present moment.

Jesus was kind, but not nice to everyone he met. As his disciples he wants us to show kindness to all those who cross our path. Kindness is a huge part of loving one another and loving our enemies. In order to have strong, godly relationships with our spouses, children, and friends, we must cultivate kindness for one another. Today and everyday, let us all bear the fruit of kindness to everyone in our lives!