Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
Proverbs 31:25-30
Kindness
Have you seen Disney's live-action Cinderella movie? If you haven’t – you should! It’s as
magical as it was as a cartoon when you were a kid, but the message behind it is so much more magical.
Early in the story, we see how Cinderella loses her mother (make sure you have tissues!). Her last words to her daughter,
“Have courage and be kind.”
Being a good daughter, she honours her mother as she grows up and is kind to everyone around her, including little Gus Gus!
Without giving too much away, we get to the part of the story where she meets the fairy godmother. But this time, it’s not because she’s lucky or just because she deserved a happy ending because she was mistreated (even though you are totally rooting for her to have the happy ending at this point in the story). The reason she was “blessed” with the opportunity was because she was faithful with her kindness. Despite being at a point of deep suffering, she still found the strength within to help someone in need.
What does the bible say about kindness?
Love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. (Proverbs 19:17)
All these are evident in the movie and I was so happy that this was the loudest message of all in the movie. Being kind. It wasn’t about the fancy dress or the Swarovski crystal shoes (yup, that’s what it was made of!) – those were just the wonderful perks of being kind.
Not only did it lead her to infiltrate the kingdom once she meet the prince, she was able to forgive her evil step-mother – and you can’t do that without genuine love and kindness. What an example! I’m sure that Cinderella goes on to teach her children to follow her mother’s advice.
Sometimes it’s hard, we’ve got some nasty “step-mothers” or “step-sisters” around that make life difficult. But if Cinderella can do it – so can you!
It starts within. A daily prayer to keep you on the right track, because we live in a broken and unkind world.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psalms 51:10-12
Let God continually restore your spirit. Let Him fill you with joy and a willing spirit to be kind to others.
Be kind today and always.