© 2021 Chip Kawalsingh / Harvest City Church

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17,‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The only certainty in life is uncertainty. We all have certain things that we like to imagine will always be there—a favourite village shop, a special place from childhood, even our parents, families and friends— but, as time goes on, sadly things change. We all experience loss, and with those negative emotions can come a sense of uncertainty.

Many years ago, I was visiting my homeland of Trinidad and my Dad and I went out one morning to eat a real Trini breakfast at our favourite place. Driving home, we took a route that led by my old primary school and as we came to the brow of the hill, excitement and anticipation filled my heart. As it came into view my hopes were dashed: it had been totally demolished! Everything was gone—even the trees and play area had been removed! I appreciate that buildings don’t last forever and that the kids needed a new, safer school, but I still felt a sense of loss as so many of my memories were there. It’s the same story with the home I grew up in as a child: now it’s a ruin, all covered in vines and jungle!

Although sad, these losses are easier to deal with. When we lose close friends or loved ones, however, life can seem empty and cruel. Today, it seems that sadness visits more frequently than before, but maybe that just comes with age.

Our world is changing swiftly. Moral values are being eroded, things we took for granted may no longer be possible, and what seemed ‘normal’ not so long ago has been replaced with a new normal that is abnormal in many ways. As news breaks, fear increases. Uncertainty creeps up and we find our anxieties and worries rising.

In all this, Scripture reminds us that God calms our fears with His love.

God’s love means He covers and cares for us. We can find rest in Him. Through our daily walk with God we can begin to work for God by sharing His amazing love with others.

Kindness is an often-overlooked virtue. When you experience kindness it’s warm and pleasant. We can share a bit of Jesus by just simply being kind and compassionate to others. You don’t know what some people may be going through, and your smile could be the only kindness they receive this week. You may be the only example they see of Jesus ever!

In his article, ‘Kindness Changes Everything’, Stephen Witmer recounts a powerful testimony:

In her memoir about the journey from being a committed lesbian to a committed Christian, Rosaria Butterfield says that, as a non-Christian, her impression of evangelical Christians was that they were poor thinkers, judgmental, scornful, and afraid of diversity. After publishing a critique of an evangelical Christian group in her local newspaper, she received an enormous volume of polarized responses. Placing an empty box in each corner of her desk, she sorted hate mail into one and fan mail into the other.

Then she received a two-page response from a local pastor. “It was a kind and inquiring letter,” she says. It had a warmth and civility to it, in addition to its probing questions. She couldn’t figure out which box to put the letter in, so it sat on her desk for seven days. “It was the kindest letter of opposition that I had ever received.” Its tone demonstrated that the writer wasn’t against her.

Eventually, she contacted the pastor and became friends with him and his wife. “They talked with me in a way that didn’t make me feel erased.” Their friendship was an important part of her journey to faith.

Preaching God’s Word takes many forms, and often the best sermons—certainly the most memorable—are simple acts of kindness. As you go about your week, take a moment to share God’s amazing love with the people you meet through the gift of kindness and compassion.