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Imagine this. You're walking through a parking lot holding your child's hand when you notice another mom a few cars over. She's trying to get her crying child into the car, and then her shopping cart starts to roll away. She grabs it, but one of the grocery bags on that bottom rack, it tips over, and a few things fall onto the ground. I mean, she looks completely overwhelmed. You could keep walking. You're tired, and you have to get home to make dinner. However, what would kindness look like in that moment? Welcome to God Says So, the scripture-rooted podcast created to help Christian moms just like you grow in God's word, strengthen your faith, live by what God says, and pass his truth on to the children you love. So the next generation grows up rooted in scripture. Hi, I'm Donna, and I hope that you'll feel right at home here. Together, we'll find encouragement and joy in what God says. You'll leave with one practical way to bring his truth into your everyday family life. So come join me. I can't wait to share today's message with you. Hey friend, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. We're continuing our series, The Fruit of the Spirit in Everyday Family Life. And today, we are talking about kindness. And as we do in every episode, we're going to take one scripture passage, one prayer, and one practical step to help you live by what God says in your everyday life. Our scripture today is Colossians 3, 12. Paul writes, Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Okay, I love the picture like Paul gives us here. He says, clothe yourselves. So think about this. Think, what did you do this morning? You got up, you opened the closet, you chose what you were going to wear, and you put it on. So Paul is kind of using that same picture to talk about the way we live. He says, put on compassion, put on kindness, put on humility, put on gentleness, put on patience. But I don't want us to skip over the beginning of that verse before Paul tells us what to put on. He reminds us who we are. Since God chose you to be the holy people, he loves. He loves you. And then because you belong to him, Paul says this is how you are to live. Kindness isn't something you do so God will love you. You are already loved by God. Kindness is part of what begins to show up in your life because you belong to Jesus. And remember, kindness is also part of the fruit of the Spirit. So once again, we're not talking about trying really, really hard to become a nicer person. As you follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working in you. And he produces kindness in you. There are those everyday moments when you have an opportunity to actually put it on, to live it. And sometimes, right in the middle of an ordinary moment, the Holy Spirit will put something on your heart. He'll prompt you to stop and notice and respond with kindness. And when that prompting agrees with what God says in his word, okay, so here's the thing. You still get to choose of what you are going to do. You can keep walking or you can respond. So let's go back to that parking lot. You see the mom struggling, and maybe your first thought is, I feel bad for her. So maybe you walk over and say, Can I help you with those bags? Or maybe you pick up something that fell on the ground. Or maybe you hold the cart, just you hold it for her while she gets her child settled into the car. Now, this may only take like 30 seconds. It may be something really small, but your child is standing right there watching you. And maybe as you walk away, your little one asks, Mommy, why did you help her? And now you have this beautiful little opportunity to say, because she needed some help. And Jesus wants us to be kind. That's it. It doesn't have to become like a big long lesson. You just lived it right in front of her. And I think sometimes when we hear the word kindness, we think about being nice. And yes, kindness absolutely affects the way we speak to people. But biblically, kindness goes further than simply being pleasant. Kindness notices someone. Kindness cares. Kindness is being willing to do something good for another person. Sometimes it's helping, sometimes it's encouraging, sometimes it's using gentle words when you could have spoken harshly. Sometimes it's stopping long enough to notice that someone around you is having a hard day. And sometimes it happens right inside your own home. Maybe your child spills something. Maybe your husband had a difficult day. Maybe someone needs your attention when you would rather have five minutes to yourself. Kindness can show up in those moments too. And when your child sees that kindness over and over again, they begin learning what kindness looks like. Not just because you told them be nice, but because they have seen you use kind words. They have seen your helping hands. They have experienced your loving heart. And actually, this is something that has become very close to my heart. I'm creating and writing the first book for God Says So Kids for preschoolers ages three to five. And it's called I Can Be Kind Like Jesus. Now, this is Colossians 3.12 is the scripture at the heart of the book. And I'm creating it because I want to help little ones begin understanding God's word in ways they can actually recognize in their own little lives. What does kindness look like? It can look like kind words, helping hands, a loving heart. And oh, and also I've created a parent-child activity guide to help you continue to have those conversations together. I'll be, I will absolutely be sharing more about this as we get closer, but I wanted you to know that it's coming because this is really what God says so is about. You're learning to live by what God says, and little by little, you're passing his truth on to the children you love. And sometimes that happens through something as ordinary as helping another mom with her groceries. Your child watches you. And then one day, maybe you see your child notice someone who needs help and you hear those little words, mommy, can I help? Those are the seeds we're planting. Okay, here's your one practical step for today. Today, I want you to look for one opportunity to put on kindness. It doesn't have to be something big. Maybe someone needs encouragement. Maybe someone needs help. Maybe someone in your own home needs you to respond with a little more kindness than you feel like giving in that moment. Pause and ask, Lord, what would kindness look like right here? And follow the Holy Spirit's prompting, the thing that he places on your heart, and do that one thing. And if your child is with you, let them see it. Even better, invite them to be a part of it. Because kindness is something we can talk about, but it's also something our children can watch us live. Okay, real quick before we pray, if you want a simple way to bring more of God's word into your everyday family life, I have a free guide called Seven Scriptures to Pray Over the Children You Love. You can download it today by using the link in the show notes. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you that I am loved by you. Thank you for your word and for showing me how you want me to live. Holy Spirit, produce your kindness in me. Help me notice the people you place in front of me today. Show me where someone may need a kind word, a helping hand, or simply that I am that someone who will stop long enough to show I care. Help my words and my actions reflect Jesus. And help my child see the way I follow Jesus, and help to plant seeds of your truth in their hearts so they can learn to be kind like Jesus too. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Okay, now make sure that you come back on Thursday because we're continuing our Fruit of the Spirit series with goodness. And I have something else really exciting that I'm finally ready to share with you. So stay tuned. I'll tell you all about that uh on Thursday. And if you haven't already, please follow the God Says So podcast so you never miss an episode. Oh, wait, one more thing. If the Holy Spirit puts someone on your heart while you were listening to this episode, would you please share this podcast with them? And together, we can reach more families, all for God's glory. Until next time, stay rooted in Scripture. Live by what God says, and pass it on.