One of my coworkers got the worst news imaginable. Her doctors told her that she had breast cancer. As she is married with young children, so she knew that the months ahead would be filled with uncertainty. Would she survive? How would her family manage while she underwent surgery, chemo, and radiation? Would her job still be there when she was ready to return to work?
I knew that her job would be there when she was ready to come back to work; because that is the kind of company we are.
But what surprised and delighted me was the kindness demonstrated by her coworkers. Cards and letters poured in from all over the state from coworkers expressing their love and support.
Coworkers as far as 100 miles away brought food for her family. They offered to stay with the kids so her husband could be with her while she was away undergoing treatment. People showed up to clean house, did the laundry, and mowed the yard.
A whole community of coworkers rallied around her to support her and her family through this difficult time. Mind you, this support and help was not just for a weekend, but for months.
Several years have passed, and there is no sign of cancer. She is doing great now. She said that a big part of her recovery results from the kindness shown her and her family by her coworkers.
This is what kindness is the workplace looks like!
Of course, kindness in the workplace can also be demonstrated through simple everyday acts you do for a coworker. Kindness is helping a coworker finish a project to meet a deadline. It is also having lunch with the new employee who is feeling overwhelmed. Kindness may be as simple as bringing a coworker’s documents back from the copy room.
Why is Kindness Important?
There is a theme of kindness, which runs throughout the Scripture. There is kindness, which we exhibit to our fellow man, and the kindness demonstrated by God to man.
Proverbs 19:22 says, “What is desirable in a man is his kindness.” The Hebrew word translated kindness here is translated elsewhere as “loving-kindness, mercy, merciful, good, and goodness.”
Paul, when writing to the Ephesians exhorts them to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).
The word Paul uses for kindness in Ephesians is the same word that he uses in Galatians 5:22-23, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.”
God saved us through His kindness (Titus 3:4). Paul is saying that we all need to show each other the same kindness that God showed to us when He sent His son to die on the cross for mankind’s sins.
Be the Light
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described a believer whose light shines in such a way it draws others to God (Matthew 5:14-16). If you want to be that kind of believer, one whose light shines brightly, then your actions toward coworkers must reflect the same kindness that God shows us.
My challenge to you is to consider:
- Does the kindness, which I show to others reflect God’s kindness to me?
- Does my kindness come from a pure heart, or do I seek selfish gain from the kindness I show?
- Do my acts of kindness have the components of mercy, love, and compassion?
When you and I reflect the kindness God shows us, a kindness which comes from a pure, unselfish heart, then we will be the light that shines brightly to draw others to the Father!
My Super-Secret Plan Series
I introduced my super-secret plan to integrate my faith into the workplace last fall. The plan itself is simple: I will exhibit to the best of my ability the fruit of the Spirit in the workplace as Paul directed in Galatians 5:22-23, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.”
No one can stop us from integrating our faith in the workplace by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit!
The “Kindness” Aspect of My Super-Secret Plan is the sixth in a series, which examines how Christians can integrate our faith in the workplace.
You can read the first article that kicks off the series here, the article on Love here, the article on Joy here, the article on Peace here, and the article on Patience here. Next up, we’ll be looking at integrating goodness as a fruit of the Spirit into the workplace in August.
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How has kindness as an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit been demonstrated in your workplace?
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Category: Skills |Empowerment
