UNUSUAL KINDNESS!

Acts 28:2”The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.”

When ‘kindness’ as such is a rare commodity in this world, we never get to see or hear of unusual kindness ! After three days of hectic ministry work, I was returning back in the train in the morning, my eyes were drooping for lack of sleep and my body was craving for rest, I was struggling hard to sit up straight; a young man from my next seat, came close to me and said, ’I can see you are very tired, please stretch out your legs and sleep.’ I was touched! Unusual kindness! Friend, you know what, I just fell asleep and that gentleman did not come back to his seat for the remaining of the journey, towards the end when I wanted to say thank him, I could not find him. Such kindness is rare!

Hebrews 13:2 states: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it".

In the above scripture, we read of the ‘unusual kindness’ that Apostle Paul received from the people of Malta; when Paul stood firm in the midst of storm, danger, opposition, unbelief, hunger, loss, pain, uncertainty and said: “So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told”, (Acts 27:25) God blessed his faith and rewarded him with unusual kindness from the hands of strange people from a strange island. When you do unusual things for God, He would shower you with unusual kindness! Are you listening?

When Jonathan the son of king Saul met David, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David and look what he did, ‘ he stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.’ David was overwhelmed by this unusual kindness! He remembered it! When the entire family of Jonathan were killed in the battle except his crippled son Mephibosheth., David said to him, 2 Samuel 9:7 "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." Your unusual kindness would be remembered and rewarded!

Think of the times you rudely honked at a lady who was nervously driving her car with her baby next to her! Think of the times, you mocked at your colleague at work, because of his poor language skills or poor dressing sense! Think of the times you sneered at the waiter in the hotel, liftman, driver, maid or the street vendor! Pause and think friends! Show unusual kindness to people around you, they be going through some storm in their life. Reach out to a friend you haven't spoken to in a while just to let them know you are thinking of them. Romans 12:13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Let us go all out to be unusually kind, loving and affectionate with one another! Are you listening?