Kindness Speaks The Truth

Kindness Speaks the Truth

I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

“God’s got that baby right where he wants her. You don’t need to worry; she’s safe now with you. If you want to pray for anybody, you should be praying for her mother—that’s who’s going to need your prayers.”

These were the words spoken to me by Dennis, a colleague of mine, after our daughter Jasmine was placed in our home for foster care. I’d frequently stop by his office for encouragement, and Dennis spoke faith into our situation when very few other people had the ability or gumption to do so. He believed what he was saying and would speak truth to me with such conviction that I believed it too, and that was something I really needed during that time. This particular day, Dennis opened my eyes to the truth that I needed to be praying for my daughter’s birth mother, especially considering her own challenging life circumstances. I realized he was right, so I did just that—over the years as my daughter grew up, I continued to pray for her safety and well-being and that she would sense and know God’s love.

Oftentimes in life, we or those we love face hard or challenging situations that seem to have no end in sight. When we are unsure of the outcome, we can hang on to hope by confidently praying to the Lord and resting assured that he will answer. He will free us from all our fears as we trust in him. This becomes the hope that we have, even in the midst of tumultuous circumstances: to know that God is with us, he will answer us, and he offers to free us from our fears. We then can offer this same comfort, this same kindness, to those around us by speaking faith and truth into the hard situations they face. Who do you know that has been discouraged or fearful lately? What hope could you offer to them?

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Ask the Lord to show you someone who is discouraged or fearful, and then do something to bolster their spirit and encourage them to find hope in the Lord.