Blessed when Kind
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
When you sow kindness to others, you'll reap a crop of kindness in your own life.
Many people around the world enjoy watching Olympic events every four years. While most people recognize the origin of the games dates back to ancient Greece, many don't know that the modern Olympic games take place, in large part, thanks to Pierre de Coubertin.
De Coubertin grew up the son of a painter in a very aristocratic family. Pierre grew up to become a physician, very concerned about the health of his fellow human beings. Convinced physical exercise could help overall health and wellness, Pierre set out to get others physically active. Being aware of the ancient Greek games, Pierre became a proponent of reintroducing the games in modern society. While many countries organized games within their nation, Pierre's goal was to create a set of games that could be played by the common man and would build national pride.
Pierre established the International Olympic Committee (an organization that is still in existence today) which allowed representatives of different countries to collaborate on the specifics of these "new" Olympic games. They figured out the logistics of the games, which events should be featured, and the point system for awarding medals. One medal Pierre wanted awarded was what he named the Pierre de Coubertin medal (also known as the True Spirit of Sportsmanship Medal). This medal was not given to those who won races, but to those who exhibited sportsmanship and kindness in their races. This medal is considered by many to be the highest award given, even higher than the gold medal.
Each year, the International Olympic Committee votes on which athlete or team of athletes deserves the medal. In the past, the medal has been given to athletes who helped other athletes, gave up their spot to another competitor, or showed selfless sportsmanship.
While life has no award for kindness, God desires that we would all exhibit kindness each day. Notice His words to the disciples in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Those who show mercy or kindness will be shown kindness as well.
Have you ever heard the phrase "What goes around comes around"? Another way to put it is the biblical principle of "You reap what you sow." I'm sure we could all point to some instance in our lives when we reaped what we had sown. Many times that reaping is not positive, but God shows that sowing good habits can lead to reaping good habits, such as kindness.
While God promises we'll receive kindness as we are kind to others, this should not be our goal. As Christians, our kindness should be done out of a heart that loves God and wants to show others that love. Think about how many people actually show kindness in the world today. In a cut-throat world of self-promotion, few people take time to show kindness. Yet as God's children, He desires we would look to His example of kindness and take time to respond to others through mercy.
Today as you go about your day, take a few moments to show someone kindness. Don't become so focused on you and your to-do list that you ignore others. Every day you're surrounded by fellow human beings, yet how often do you notice them or reach out to them in kindness? Ask God to help you show His love to at least one person today through a kind word or act.
Daily Bible Reading
Judges 1-3 | Luke 4:1-30
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