This morning, I get to teach kids about kindness. We’ve been talking this month about the Fruit of the Spirit, which is found in Galatians 5:22-23.
It’s a topic that was drilled into me at a very young age. I am the oldest of four kids and unfortunately, firstborn kids are not known for being the supreme leader of kindness. At least this kid wasn’t the king of kindness when his little brother or sister just just ate the last cookie.
I was fortunate that not only my patient parents emphasized kindness, but my kindergarten teacher did too. She had us recite Ephesians 4:32 every morning before we began our class in the old King James Version .
“Be he kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 KJV
It didn’t always stop the playground drama. Nor did it eliminate the urge to hoard all the good, unbroken crayons. But it did make me pause and think. It was one of those kindergarten lessons that come back to me even today.
My prayer this morning is that the kids I teach will remember today’s lesson when they are tempted to be rude or react angrily to to a perceived injustice. Let’s keep learning how to be kind, tender hearted and forgiving in a world desperate for all three qualities.
