When Kindness Flies High

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other.

Ephesians 4:2

My husband flies to Arizona frequently for work. One particularly cold Minnesota winter, we decided we’d take our four kids and spend a week in Phoenix since my husband would need to be there for business anyway. I was a little nervous to take four children through airports and security lines, especially when our youngest was just a little over a year old and at a stage where she did not want to be held, preferring to explore the world around her.

I planned and prepared as much as I could ahead of time—we showed up that morning with sippy cups, snacks, books, and other activities to keep the kids entertained. The check-in lines were especially long that day, and as we printed off our tickets, I wondered how the kids would do. I needn’t have worried as an airport security officer waved to our family, hurrying us through a family line while making conversation with our kids about where we were going and if they were excited. My kids paid no attention to the machines as they told him of their excitement for warmer weather and the promise of a pool to swim in each day. He smiled and nodded, handing them each a sticker and wishing us a safe and happy flight. As we gathered our things and headed for our plane, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the kindness of this stranger.

We get to choose each day whom we will show kindness toward. We get to decide whether or not we show kindness to strangers who will never be able to repay us and, most likely, we will never see again. The question is, what will we do when being kind has no benefit to us? Will we still be patient, gentle, and humble? This security officer went out of his way to show my family patience when we needed it, even though it wasn’t required of him. We should never underestimate the power of being gentle and kind to strangers.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Go out of your way to show kindness to someone who will never be able to repay you.

From the book