Unqualified Kindness
Kindness.
It is necessary if you want to have relationships in general—but especially if you want to have warm, loving relationships.
Kindness does not require anything from the other person either.
Wait… what?
I have to pause there for a moment, because that one challenges me.
If I’m going to be kind to someone, that choice rests on my shoulders. Not theirs.
But what about when someone has been continuously cruel to me?
Or better yet… what if someone doesn’t deserve my kindness?
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my mind goes there sometimes.
But here’s the truth I keep coming back to:
If how I conduct myself depends on how others treat me, then I’m living by the wrong set of values.
Kindness isn’t supposed to be transactional—it’s supposed to be transformational.
When I head out on therapy dog visits, we never know what we’re going to encounter. My dogs attract everyone. And I mean everyone. I have yet to see any of my dogs turn away from a person.
Matter of fact, the more hurt someone is, the more my dogs seem to lean in.
They don’t ask if the person is kind first.
They don’t evaluate worthiness.
They don’t hold back love.
They simply show up—with presence, gentleness, and connection.
And every time, I’m reminded: that is what kindness looks like.
Jesus modeled this over and over again.
In Luke 8:43–48, we read about the woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on physicians, and no one could heal her. She was likely isolated, overlooked, maybe even considered unclean by society.
And yet—Jesus didn’t turn away.
When she reached out in faith and touched His cloak, He stopped. He already knew what she needed before she ever spoke a word. Before He ever saw her. He spoke to her. He called her “daughter.” And in that moment, He didn’t just heal her body—He restored her dignity.
That’s kindness.
That’s compassion.
That’s love that doesn’t require anything in return.
If I want to live like that, I can’t wait for others to deserve it.
I have to choose it—again and again.
Kindness doesn’t mean allowing harm or ignoring boundaries. But it does mean I take responsibility for how I show up in the world.
It means I reflect the love I’ve been given—even when it’s hard.
Because at the end of the day, kindness may seem small…
…but it has the power to heal, to connect, and to remind someone they are not alone.
It may be the difference between life and death.
Sandy
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
Psalm 63:3-4
