Try A Little Kindness

2 Samuel 9: 1 – 13

Try a little kindness

9 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” 3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” 9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.

Kindness seems to be a lost art these days. It’s a rare gem, hidden among the pushers of haste and the irritable impatient and often distracted people we pass in our lives. I often search for evidence of kindness, as I’m going and doing things out in the world, and what I often see is a lot of people that want nothing more than to stay to themselves. I get that. I really do. I’ve been one of them many times.

But it still makes me sad to think most people out there going and doing things are so consumed by their own hassles; they really don’t think to look any further.

I try to work on this from my end of the world. I often feel compelled to engage with other people. It is not natural but I try to be intentionally kind when chatting with the cashier or passing by someone who appears to need a little lift. Oftentimes, it lights us both up with a new air of goodness. Sometimes, my words and smiles fall on empty ground — no new buds are going to grow there.

But I keep trying. Most of the time, it’s worth it.

I’d like to think there are at least five simple ways to be kind. These efforts of kindness are truly doable for us all. Here’s what I find most inspiring:

When we are kind, we have more energy and feel better about ourselves and the world we live in.

1. Smile. Seriously, just smile, would you? When the bank cashier asks for your I.D: Smile. When the crosswalk guard yells at you to slow down: Smile. When you’re at your kid’s sporting event: Smile. When you’re walking through the grocery store: Smile. When you are in the break room at work: Smile. When you are out in this world, doing what you do: Smile.

You know how it feels when someone smiles at you, right? Just think how many people you can show kindness to with simply curving up your lips and showing your teeth. It’s infectious, and in this simple act itself — you are lighting up the world because what often happens when you smile? Others smile too.