I wore a lot of different uniforms growing up. As a kid who played lots of soccer, I was consistently dressed every Saturday in purple and black with cleats and shin guards covered by long, black socks up to my knees. When I wore this uniform, I was part of a team and was dressed to perform athletically on a field.
During my college years, I worked at our campus’ recreation center. I wore jeans and a maroon polo with a nametag and an embroidered logo that said Member Services. When I wore this uniform, I was recognizable as someone who could help people sign up for memberships at our gym, pay fees, check out equipment, and assist in lots of other recreational activities.
Now as an educator in a local high school, I have a little more freedom over my clothing, but I still wear identifiable markers to demonstrate who I am. I put on my school badge every morning, and I occasionally wear our school t-shirts, showing that I belong to a campus where I am responsible for the welfare of our community’s students.
Putting on Kindness
As followers of Jesus, what does it look like to wear the “clothing” of his kingdom and identify ourselves with Christ? How would people know that we belong to Jesus when they look at us? One of the key identifiers of our relationship with Christ is to put on kindness when it costs us something.
When we’re kind to others who have offended us, we contrast the cultural norm of getting even with people. When we choose to treat people kindly regardless of the experiences we may encounter with them, we put on a godly “uniform”, so to speak.
This uniform is a standout feature that marks us as a follower of Jesus and lets people know that our purpose and our identity will not be changed in the presence of conflict. Just like I belonged to a team and an organization, we belong to a kingdom that is greater than ourselves. Clothing ourselves with kindness each day is putting on the uniform we were called to wear.
The Challenge of Kindness
I admit, putting on kindness every day sounds admirable, but the reality of living it out is much more challenging. When we’re in the middle of a situation when emotions are tense and we’re in conflict between our own desires and another’s desires, being kind is often the first character trait to disappear.
When I worked at my college’s recreation center, I consistently had to practice professionalism and kindness when customers were unhappy or impatient. As a teacher and now a college counselor, I meet with students everyday who see kindness as a weakness. They view the world as competition—a survival of the fittest—which means that being kind can lead to someone being taken advantage of.
Given a New Uniform
When kindness is the difficult choice, or when kindness costs us something, how can we actually practice it like God calls us to?
Colossians 3:12 tells us how. We’re chosen by God, holy and dearly loved. When we understand that the God of the universe chooses us to be His people, there’s no need to fight for significance or respect or possessions by being unkind. Unkindness is the mark of our old self, when our sin was offensive to God, and we didn’t belong to him. Colossians 2:21 even tells us that our sins made us enemies of God. Yet He has still offered His kindness to us by choosing us as His people, washing away our sin to make us holy and loving us like a perfect Father. In God’s kindness, we’re no longer enemies. Instead, our relationship is reconciled (Colossians 2:21).
If God bore our unkindness and sin, and still offered us His love, forgiveness, and a place in His kingdom, how could we not turn around and offer the same to others? How could we not seek reconciliation with others? This love of God is what radically changes us from the inside out and leads us to put on kindness toward others, even when it costs us something (Romans 2:4).
If kindness is a fruit of the Spirit that doesn’t seem to be growing as much in your life lately, take time today to confess that reality to God. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to remind you how. Through Christ’s kindness, you “have been clothed with the new man” that is called and empowered to now wear kindness faithfully every day (Colossians 3:10). Ask Him to continue changing you toward the Christlike person He envisions you to be. Finally, thank God for giving you the clothes of His kingdom—a uniform that will always fit you perfectly.
