JULITA EXPLORES: Kindness that stops you in your tracks

A monthly column in which Julita Kok shares on living adventurously with God

I like to write about current journeys and experiences when I write to the Gateway readers. I have thousands of stories to tell on the goodness of God and the list keeps growing. More and more encounters on my journey where I simply see how much God loves people. So there is always something new to write about. 

This morning, as I am preparing to go to Switzerland soon, I just felt that I did not want to write about recent happenings. And I know this “feeling” . When I “get like this”, I know the Holy Spirit wants me to write something very specific. So I asked: “What should I write about Lord?  What do You want to say to the readers?”  And this was His simple answer:“Write about kindness.”

Kindness? Surely there are much bigger things happening in the world I could write about than kindness? But you see, this is the thing about God. This is a thing that is important to Him, because things like kindness, friendliness and love, shape people and influence relationships. And for God, t is all about people. Sure He cares about world events, but at the end of it all, it is people who will spend eternity with Him or in hell. So kindness is important right now.

I thought about it a little.  One would think that there is not much to being kind, but that is not true.  Kindness brings you to a stop. It takes effort. You need to stop what you are busy with and give all of your attention to someone else. Friendliness can be a quick smile as you walk past someone — a nod of the head to greet someone as you drive by. Friendliness does not stop you in your tracks. Kindness does.  

I checked to see what God’s word says about kindness. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Kindness and forgiveness going hand in hand??

“Love is patient and kind”. So kindness is part of loving people.

I once picked up an old lady carrying a child on her back alongside the road. She told me that she left home early that morning to come to her daughter (working in my neighbourhood) to fetch money to buy milk for the child on her back. The child was her daughter’s grandchild.

I picked her up at about 1pm and took her to see her daughter. On arrival, the daughter came out to the car; put some money in her mother’s hand and they had more or less a five-minute conversation before she had to go back in. I nearly fainted. Five minutes!  All this for five min?! I asked the old lady when last she shad seen her daughter. She said three months ago. And in my heart I was just crying for what she had to endure to come and collect this money and to see her daughter for five minutes.  

So, I picked up my daughter from school and I took this great grandmother home with me. I gave her food, we cleaned the baby and fed her and then this old woman asked me to take a picture of me and her on her phone. She wanted to show the people back home as they would never believe her if she told them what had happened to her that day. 

And as she was taking out her phone, looking for the camera function, I realised that she could not see properly. So, I took off my R20 Crazy Store glasses, size 1.5 and gave them to her. Her whole face lit up.  She could see!! That was a glorious moment to see that face burst open in joy and excitement.  Wonderful!!

When she had finished her meal, I gave her all the cash in my purse and told her that she could keep the glasses. I then took her to the bus stop to start her trip home. But then I got to thinking — how many hours would she have to travel to get home? And how long would it take me? Only an hour out of my afternoon. So, I drove past the bus stop and took her home. 

‘An angel sent by God’

When we got to her place, she called all the people living in that small house and all the neighbours, to come and meet me and she was just laughing and laughing. She kept on thanking me for being an angel sent by God. She said, that morning she had prayed and asked God to help her on this difficult journey for the day and He heard her and sent an angel. She was sooooo happy. I had a cup of tea with her in her home and then my daughter and I left to go to our home.

Here is the thing that really touched me. My whole day was scheduled to pick up an artist at the airport and then accompany her on all the things that needed to be done for a big show. That morning she had phoned me to say, she had the flight date wrong. She wiould only be coming the next day. So, I realised afterwards, God had arranged my whole day in such a way that I would be available to assist this old mother. This is how important she is to Him and how much He loves her. I showed kindness and it stopped my day in its tracks. I had to put my own agenda and schedule aside to be available to the needs of this grandmother. 

I am such a good person being so kind! (sarcasm) NOOOOOOO! If you understand God’s ways (or a little about them, for who can ever understand the fullness of our God) then you will know that He gives seed to the sower. And showing someone that HE brings along your path, kindness, is putting seed in the ground without knowing it at the time. There is always a harvest on kindness. 

You are not kind to receive a reward, but it is God’s law. So if you think that I was the kind one that day, you are mistaken. That old women taught me soooo much in that one afternoon and it changed me forever. I was the one on the receiving end with what I saw and experienced that day. And the reward on that you may ask? Do you know how many times in my life I arrived in a strange country or city and I had no idea where to next! Soooo many times. And every single time, a stranger came to help me far above and beyond I could ever imagine. I was never without food or a place to sleep or whatever I needed. The harvest of a random act of kindness many years ago to an old great grandmother. She is nobody in the eyes of this world, but in the Kingdom of God — Heaven stood still that moment to sort out the needs of this mother. And here is the other amazing thing!!! — I WAS CHOSEN for that privilege. I can only cry and cry and cry that God thought me trust worthy with His child.

It changes YOU

Showing kindness to someone else changes YOU. It puts you on a high that no drug can give you!! It makes you feel worthy, humbles you, makes you happy and it makes you excited for the next opportunity. Kindness is not only for the other person you bestow kindness on — it is for YOU too. God is good that way in what opportunities He sends your way. Be “wakey” and discern and do what your hand finds to do.

I have a thousand stories of people — random people even — being kind to me. And of me being kind to others. It is a joy. And if you follow the lead of the Holy Spirit on being kind and when and where, a life full of surprises awaits you. People, this is why we are on this Earth. To serve one another and to be transformed to be like Jesus. Jesus was kind — even with His words. He was kind. Kindness and goodness go together and these acts, touch the hearts of people and your own.

So, let us love one another and strangers and be kind and good to each other. You never know, we might just change the world by using kindness as our weapon.

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