"With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? ......... "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Several months ago I saw a post on Facebook by a lottery winner claiming that he would randomly give away one million dollars to one of the people who "Liked" or "Shared" his post; and he was doing this in the name of random kindness. While I appreciate that this gentleman was willing to part with a portion of his winnings, I could not help but think to myself, "that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard!" While it is certainly more dramatic to make his gift random; it would have been more kind to have been generous with intention. What if his randomly selected recipient is already a millionaire? Would a children's hospital or homeless shelter not make a more suitable choice? Or what about a few families in his neighborhood who have fallen on hard times despite their hard work?
"Random Kindness" is currently getting her fifteen minutes of fame. Celebrities, charities, news media, and the like are all emphasizing random kindness - and while I will happily take random kindness over UNkindness any day - kindness that is random is still a pale shadow of kindness that is bathed in thoughtfulness and cloaked with purpose. This fruit of the Spirit is an inseparable part of the Oneness that is our God and according to the prophet Micah, "what is good". I understand that the intent behind the random kindness campaign is to remind us to be thoughtful and to share the good with which we have been blessed; to remind us to take the small opportunities to demonstrate love to others. Nevertheless, as a believer in Jesus Christ every moment of my life is to be one of worship and devotion to God and therefore is deeply kind. Kindness is not a token; its a testimony. Kindness is not an offering that we give to others, but one we give to God by way of our fellow man as we take steps to walk humbly with Him.
Random kindness is but for a moment and pays homage to a momentary glimpse of the goodness that is within each human being as part of the image of God in which we were created. However, intentional, thoughtful, prayerful kindness is the character of the Heavenly Father and a mandatory way of life for any who are in Christ Jesus so that He alone may receive the glory.
"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man." Proverbs 3:3
