A Monthly Inspirational Viewpoint of Life’s Journeys with Sonia Wignall.
Episode Thirty Nine
One summer evening, when my son was about 11, we went to a community family movie night. It was in a park-like area at a local shopping center. Although the movie was not scheduled to begin until 9:00pm, most families arrived much earlier to get a good space for their lawn blankets and folding chairs, coolers, etc. as the adults waited, the children played.
A short time before 9pm, two young Black women arrived with a few kids. One of the women was pregnant. They walked among the chairs and lawn blankets looking for an open space to sit. No one moved to accommodate them. The women were either being ignored, or punished for arriving late.
A gentleman, sitting behind me, jumped into action. He was there with his family, lawn blankets and folding chairs. He began, moving blankets and chairs, making room for the new arrivals. I was impressed. This was a predominantly Christian community, yet he was the only one willing to make room, to be “kind” to welcome them.
I could not contain my curiosity. His kindness caught my attention and ministered to my heart. I asked if he was a Pastor. He was not, but we began a conversation about God’s love for us. He told me that he was reading the book, “Crazy Love”, by Francis Chang and that his family had recently returned from South Africa, where they were missionaries for a few years. In the US, they were a homeschooled family like ours. He invited us to attend a weekly fellowship in his home, a large beautiful and colorful home. The family’s art collection reflected travel and an appreciation of different countries, people and cultures from around the world.
In addition to his three (3) biological children, they have two beautiful adopted young daughters from Central America. They were a welcoming cultural blended family. Our family grew to love them. For years, this family’s home became our Saturday night “House Church”. Many of our Saturday night fellowships were centered on accepting God’s crazy and kind love for us. The ministry time and teachings included testimonies on submitting our heart back to God.
We also met many other global missionaries’ leaders, and heard their stories. Through kindness, they had chosen to dedicate their lives to serving others. I learned a lot under their ministry and leadership. Through this family’s love and kindness and generosity towards us, we made lifelong amazing and loving friends, and experienced a multicultural church without walls.
As believers, the word instructs us to walk in kindness, one of the “Fruits of the Spirit”.
Galatians 5:22 (ESV): But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV): Love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things,
Proverbs 21:21 (ESV): Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.
Now, here is the test.
John 3:17 (ESV): But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
… Ouch!
Being kind is a daily act of love, and faith, It is worship in motion. More importantly it is our choice. It is also how we chose to model, teach our children and serve God and humanity.
2 Peter 1: 5-8:
For this reason make every effort to add virtue to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge; and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness; and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love. For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful,
“Kindness is a language which the blind can see and the deaf can hear.”
Sonia M. Wignall is Co-Founder & Board Chair, Diaspora Global Foundation, A STEM Education organisation. She holds a BA from Stony Brook University, and studied at the Columbia University Executive MBA program. She is a Lifestyle Writer for Diaspora Digital News.