Friday, November 13, is World Kindness Day, an unofficial observance started in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a network of kindness organizations around the world. People mark it with simple acts: a kind note, a paid-for coffee, an hour of volunteering, a seat given up on the bus.
For Christians, kindness is not a once-a-year campaign. It is woven through the Bible from beginning to end, and one short verse sums it up well:
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
Kindness that flows from grace
The Apostle Paul wrote those words to the church at Ephesus as part of a longer passage about how believers should live together. Just before it, he urges them to put away bitterness, anger and evil speaking. Then he gives the positive picture: be kind, be tenderhearted, forgive.
Notice the reason he gives. Christians are to forgive “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Biblical kindness is not first about being a nice person. It flows out of what God has already done. People who know they have received mercy are called to pass it on.
Three words to live by
- Kind: the word points to goodness that is useful to others, kindness that does something. It is the warm meal, the ride to the doctor, the help with homework.
- Tenderhearted: a heart that is moved by another person’s pain. It means noticing, slowing down and caring about what someone else is carrying.
- Forgiving: perhaps the hardest of the three. Forgiveness does not pretend wrong never happened, but it chooses not to hold the debt over another person.
The neighbor on the road
Jesus gave the most famous picture of kindness in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. A man is beaten and left on the road. Two religious leaders pass by. A Samaritan, someone the listeners would not have expected to be the hero, stops, bandages the man’s wounds, brings him to an inn and pays for his care. Jesus ends by telling His listener to “go, and do thou likewise.”
The parable answers the question, “Who is my neighbor?” with a challenge: be a neighbor to whoever is in front of you.
Kindness in the news this week
This week brought reminders of how much that matters. Here on Upstormed News we reported that lines are growing at food pantries as families feel the squeeze of higher prices, a need churches and neighbors can help meet. And today we share the story of a young maritime cadet who ran toward screams and pulled a father and son from a pool, a modern picture of someone who did not pass by on the other side.
Earlier this week we also looked at what Aaron and Hur teach us about holding up the hands of others, another Bible story about quiet, faithful help.
Why it matters for families
Children learn kindness by watching. Here are a few ways to turn World Kindness Day into a family habit:
- Read Ephesians 4:32 together at dinner and ask each person to name one way to be kind tomorrow.
- Choose a neighbor, teacher or church member to thank with a handwritten card.
- Pack a few extra items for a local food pantry as Thanksgiving approaches.
- Talk honestly about forgiveness: who is hard to forgive, and how God’s forgiveness changes that.
- Pray as a family for someone who is hurting, and then look for a practical way to help them.
Kindness rarely makes headlines, but it changes homes, churches and neighborhoods one act at a time. As Thanksgiving draws near, it is a good season to practice it on purpose.
What is the kindest thing someone has done for you this year? Tell us in the comments.
Read more: Hold Up His Hands: What Aaron and Hur teach us
Sources: timeanddate.com, “World Kindness Day” (accessed November 13, 2026); The Holy Bible, King James Version, Ephesians 4:32 and Luke 10:25-37
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