Kindness Tough As Nails

Let me acclaim You, O Master, my God, with all my heart,
and let me honor Your name forever.
For Your kindness to me is great,
and You saved me from nethermost Sheol.

~ Psalm 86:12, 13 (Alter)

My day begins with a couple verses from the Psalms. Not because I am that holy, or pious, or eager to wake up and give God His due, but because I am so easily distracted. I am so easily provoked. I am so easily misguided. I am, in a word, a fool when left to my own devices. So, as I meditated on this passage the other morning --Ash Wednesday, to be specific --I once again visited the concept of kindness. Kindness is typically the thing we encourage of toddlers as they first begin to interact with others. Kindness is what we ask of our children toward their siblings. Kindness is something we notice in a beautiful, unexpected bouquet of flowers from a faraway friend. Kindness is sweet and gentle. Not quite.

But see what Scripture has to say about kindness:

"...He is God, the faithful God, who is keeping His covenant and His [steadfast] lovingkindness to a thousand generations..." (Deuteronomy 7:9 AMP)

...I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you (Isaiah 54:8)

...the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7)

"...God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance." (Romans 2:4 RSV)

The psalmist says God's kindness is great. In a world where superlatives like "awesome" and "the best" are tossed about like dirty socks to the hamper, the word "great" can lose its --well, greatness. Webster's 1936 dictionary defines great as "large in size; big," of course, but it adds "opposed to small and little; specifically, pregnant." Opposed to small and little! Pregnant; filled with life, waiting to burst forth! A little kindness just will not do. A dead or stagnant or reluctant kindness is not the kindness of God. God's kindness is great! 

Deuteronomy tells us His "lovingkindness," His hesed, is steadfast and powerful, sufficient enough for a thousand generations. Using figurative language, Moses is saying "forever." It will make it; God's kindness will not run out. It is covenantal as well. Like God saying, "As long as I live, I will demonstrate kindness." He promised His perpetual kindness to those who love Him and keep His commandments. He would deny Himself --His integrity, His character --if He were to break this promise. The prophet Isaiah wrote, God's kindness is everlasting. Everlasting! Another superlative. Again, Webster's 1936: "continuing indefinitely; hence, wearisome from repetition." God's kindness goes on so long, we can grow weary from it? No more, Heavenly Father! No more! I just can't take it! Well, I'm not sure about all of that, but it is eternal because He Himself is eternal. And His kindness is the impetus for His mercy.

Paul declares the kindness of Christ Jesus, His behavior toward others as He inhabited earth in human form, serves to provide us with an example of the kindness of our Father God. Gentleness, forgiveness, looking out for the interests of others, keeping customs and celebrations, studying and teaching among the devout in the temple, praying to His Father on behalf of folks. His kindness was an outpouring of the exceeding riches of God's grace! And meant to lead those around Him then, as well as those today, to repentance, to forsaking the way we live in error and sin. God's kindness is abundant and resurrectionary, able to turn hearts toward a life of heavenly living in a place that is currently ruled by perdition, able to turn our hearts toward righteousness and holiness when our flesh has been so long in bondage to sin and corruption.

And let us not forget just how far His kindness was willing to go. His kindness was poured out through scourged skin and puddled blue under beaten flesh. His kindness was stripped and thrown to the ground, trampled under leather and contempt, in the greatest display of injustice, irreverence, unkindness, and betrayal ever known. His kindness was pierced with thorns and a sword. But His kindness remained. Voluntary, steadfast, eternal, sufficient, death-defying, quickening, relational, exemplary (Ouch!), tough as nails. The nails that held Him in place to show you and me real kindness.