This is the fifth installment of my nine-month series on The Fruit of the Spirit and its cultivation in our lives. With each post I’ll be including a free embroidery pattern download featuring the month’s topic.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
—Galatians 5:22-23
Being kind is putting love into action. Being gentle, not harsh.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
—Titus 3: 4-7
We look to the Lord to be our example in kindness, guiding us as to how we are to be kind to our families and those around us. Kindness is an act of good will, tenderheartedness, and attentively looking to benefit and bless others.
How can we show the loving kindness of the the Lord?
- Proverbs 31:26 speaks of the having the teaching of kindness on our tongue. The words and the tone that we present speak more loudly than the words we use, just as our actions do. Don’t forget to keep your tone of voice in check and actively find ways to display kindness with your tongue.
- We can look for small ways to be self-sacrificial (and bigger, more time-consuming ways, too). Serve others and express warmheartedness, especially toward those in our homes. We can model that to our children and also help them to cultivate a servant’s heart.
- Show compassion to others when they are in need or mourning by considering their needs. What are God’s promises to His people, and how can you remind them of those promises? Perhaps you could involve your children in inventing creative ways to do this.
- Every day purpose to be kind. Kindness can only be lived out from a heart that often meditates on the kindness of the Lord. We should not be so busy with our work or activities that we are distracted from the importance of being kind.
Let others see the fruit in your life — it is edifying to see (and receive!) the evidence of God’s Holy Spirit working in the body of Christ.
As we cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our life, we must depend upon the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to help us.
Free “KINDNESS” Embroidery Pattern
As an extra way to remember to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, we’ve created a free embroidery pattern from Clementine Patterns – just for you! This pattern makes for a great mother-daughter project. Plus, each month we’re offering a free pattern that directly ties in with the fruit of the Spirit for that month.
This month’s pattern features several graphics for Kindness. Download the pattern for free by clicking here and embroider your own version of “Kindness” for your home and family! (For personal use only. This PDF pattern is available for free download for two weeks – now through August 10th.)
Other posts in this series:
• LOVE
• JOY
• PEACE
• PATIENCE
