In his book, It Worked for Me, Colin Powell tells how in a final sermon in his home church, his minister looked out over the congregation and with a smile on his face quietly concluded, “Always show more kindness than seems necessary, because the person receiving it needs it more than you will ever know.”
General Powell said, “That sentence hit me with a special force that has remained with me for four decades. His lesson was clear: Kindness is not just about being nice; it is about recognizing another human being who deserves care and respect.”
Much later, when he was secretary of state, one day he slipped away from his elegant office and vigilant security agents and went down to the garage. The employees, immigrants and minorities making minimum wage, thinking he was lost, asked if he needed help getting back “home.”
He told them no, he just wanted to chat. After a while, he asked them a question about their jobs that had puzzled him. The garage was too small for all the employee’s cars, so these attendants had to stack cars one behind the other.
“When the cars come in every morning,” he asked, “How do you decide whose car is the first to get out, and whose ends up second and third?” They gave each other knowing looks and little smiles, “Mr. Secretary,” one of them said, “It goes like this: When you drive in, if you lower the window, look out, smile, or know our name, you’re number one to get out. But if you look straight ahead, don’t show you see us or that we are doing something for you, well, you are likely to be one of the last to get out.”
At his next staff meeting, he shared this story with his senior leaders. “You can never err by treating everyone in the building with respect, thoughtfulness, and a kind word,” he told them.
General Powell points out that being kind doesn’t mean being soft. In fact, he says, “Ask any veteran the name of his drill sergeant and he will know it. Mine, almost 55 years ago, was Staff Sgt. Artis Westberry.”
Everyone needs recognition, appreciation and reinforcement. It was Mark Twain who said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” But if you and I are not careful, we can go for ages without giving a compliment or a word of appreciation to those who do the most for us and mean the most to us.
It is through acts of kindness, I think, that we most show forth the love of Christ and the grace of God. And that is an avenue that is open to all of us. Listen to these words written by Cyrus Albertson and ponder them well:
Sometimes in folk around me
With burdens, hurts and fears:
Through joyful, happy hours
And often through their tears:
In some loving act of kindness
As they show how much they care—In the lives of folk around me
I find God reflected there.
Clyde Nichols is a retired minister, having served First Christian Church in Temple for 27 years as senior minister. He is the author of three books of devotionals and writes a religious column for several Texas newspapers, including The Reporter.
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