Walking with the Wise #94: The Boundless Benefit of Kindness

“A man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man hurts himself.”
—Proverbs 11:17

The two greatest commandments involve loving God and loving our neighbor. Loving God enables us to experience the blessing of who He is, and loving our neighbor enables us to not only experience the self-giving love similar to God’s; it is reciprocal in nature. The more loving that we are to others, the more we will discover we are loved by them. Solomon pointed out the reciprocal nature of this spiritual truth when he wrote that a kind man benefits himself. The kinder he is, the kinder he will discover others are to him. But a cruel man, the parallel opposite of one who is kind, hurts not only others, but himself.

If we love God and love people, there is great blessing and reward for doing so—both for those to whom we have been loving and kind, and for ourselves as we experience the joy of loving like God does. God gave Himself for us, and we in turn give ourselves to others. It is in the act of giving ourselves to others that we experience the joy for which we have been made, which only comes from doing that through which God receives glory.

Is God receiving glory through your acts of kindness? Are you being kind to others? Know that through your act of kindness, you will be blessed. We show our love for God through our love for people, and through that loving act God receives great glory.

May God enable us all to be kind to others, not only for their benefit, but for our own, as we experience the wonderful presence of God through our loving acts to our fellow man. Amen.