The Test of Kindness


You all know the drill—you get on the airplane with a bunch of other people all trying to find a spot for their luggage. Many people have bags that are crammed too full and have way more “stuff” than they are permitted to carry on. The first people on the plane get the prime spaces for their carry-on bags while the ones in the later boarding groups are left to scramble to locate a spot for their luggage. 

Seated with my luggage stowed under the seat in front of me, I observed a woman with a large suitcase looking for overhead space to put her bag. She found a spot that was plenty big enough except that is had a small bag in it. She was attempting to move the smaller bag into a space that would accommodate it when the man seated in the row behind me bellowed, “That is not your bag to move.”

The passenger was bewildered by the gruff, unkind comment until other passengers jumped in to help her find a place to stow her bag. 

What difference would it have made if the bag had been moved across the aisle to another smaller space? Why was the man adamant about his bag staying put? Had he experienced a bad day? Was there something extremely valuable in the bag that he did not want to get hurt? Or was he just a mean old man who didn’t want to help someone else? 

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I do know that his behavior was not pleasing to God because the Bible tells us how we are to respond to one another. It says we are to:
  • Love one another 1 Peter 1:22
  • Honor one another above yourself Romans 12:10
  • Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love Ephesians 4:2
  • Serve one another Galatians 5:13
  • Live in harmony with one another 1 Peter 3:8
  • Submit to one another, out of reverence for Christ Ephesians 5:21
  • Live in harmony with one another 1 Peter 3:8
  • Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling 1 Peter 4:9
  • Be kind and compassionate to one another Ephesians 4:32
  • Agree with one another, so there may be no divisions among you 1 Corinthians 1:10
How do you measure up against God’s standards?

As the man took his bag from the overhead compartment at the end of the flight I wondered if he was sorry for the harsh way he had reacted to the young woman earlier. Did he wish that he had responded in a different manner? Did the bag weigh heavy on his shoulder? His true test would come the next time someone asked to move his bag. You and I will have tests too. The question is-- how will we score when measured against God’s standards.

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