Without question, God’s love is kind and selfless. Even though most of us are much more comfortable with the idea of giving help than receiving it, at times we may still hesitate to give help to others because we fear that we may offend them with our offer of help.
But true kindness doesn’t get bogged down in that kind of thinking: What will others think of me if I offer to help them? What will others think of me if I ask for and accept help? Those questions are self-focused, whereas true biblical kindness is self-forgetful.
And the Bible’s teaching on kindness points to the fact that we need each other. Although we live in a society that makes a virtue of independence and self-sufficiency, in 1 Corinthians Paul likens the church of Jesus Christ to one body with many parts, where:
- The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary…
- This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
(1 Corinthians 12:21-22, 25-27, NLT)
As the great British poet John Donne once wrote, “No man [or woman] is an island.” Give yourself and others the chance to grow in kindness by being willing to both give and receive help graciously.
