“Everyday kindness can be the greatest sort of heroism.” Karen Swallow Prior, On Reading Well 

This past week, I spoke with our contractor neighbor about little acts of kindness, an on-going and troubling neighbor situation, and a time when I wished I’d been kinder. “Ah humans, and I am one of them!” I said. We both laughed.

Kindness, my word for 2026. 

For the past several years, Keith and I have donated two poinsettias to decorate the church altar on Christmas. An honor and a kindness. Thereafter, we bring the poinsettias home to care for them inside and transplant them into pots outside when the danger of frost has passed. Their deep red leaves change to green, representing life, growth, and the unfolding mission of Jesus: His love, service, and sacrifice.

Poinsettias’ vibrant red flowers symbolize the blood of Christ; their star shape, the Star of Bethlehem. They also signify rebirth—and hope. To live out His real everyday kindness, I need poinsettia reminders of love, honesty, and forgiveness.

Kindness and love

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… Galatians 5:22 NIV

What is kindness? “Kind comes from the same root from which we get the word kin,” writes Karen Swallow Prior in her book On Reading. “To be kind, then, is to treat someone like they are family… Kindness is like love.” Kindness also evokes words such as charity, generosity, compassion, friendship, grace, and sympathy without prejudice or resentment. Traditionally, kindness or gratitude is the heavenly virtue opposite the deadly sin of jealousy or envy.

Prior states, “When something good happens to someone in our family, it is like it has happened to us. We share that good rather than envy it. To seek and celebrate the good for others is to treat them as family. This is what it means to be kind.” 

Kindness and honesty

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV

Kindness is easy to think about but hard to do. Prior: “Sometimes loving a family member requires gentleness. Sometimes toughness. Often forbearance. Always honesty and truth. This is another way being kind and being nice differ. Niceness has no inherent link to truth.”

As I wrote back in November, “…nice was often part of my first-half-of-life mask and less honest than the kindness that comes more naturally these days. My mature, second-half-of-life self is more respectful and forgiving…” My social media post about nice versus kindness has attracted a lot of views, shares, reactions and comments, which says to me that many of us struggle with honesty, kindness, and forgiveness.

Kindness and forgiveness

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NIV

Prior states, “Kindness isn’t natural to most of us, which is why it is a virtue that needs to be taught and cultivated…”

In his recently-published book The Big Relief: The Urgency of Grace in a Worn-Out World, David Zahl writes, “Jesus doles out kindness to the enemies of God, repaying scorn with mercy, contempt with amnesty, and toxicity with redemption.” But. “The truth is, you may not be able to forgive… and the relief comes in leaving such matters to God, who is not you.” 

I suspect all of us struggle to be kind and forgiving toward certain family members and/or friends. I do. So, reading those words, I feel relief after giving my inadequacy to God.

This morning, as I looked at the poinsettias, I felt at peace, rested. Jesus rested all the time. And He invites us to do the same.

Instead of worry, retreat and pray. Then respond with kindness.

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