“Sa halip, mahalin ninyo ang inyong mga kaaway at gumawa kayo ng mabuti. Magpahiram kayo na hindi umaasa ng anumang kabayaran. Sa gayon, malaking gantimpala ang tatamuhin ninyo, at kayo’y magiging mga anak ng Kataas-taasang Diyos. Sapagkat siya’y mabuti kahit sa masasama at sa mga hindi marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob.”

Lucas 6:35

If you were asked to name who is the kindest person you personally know, how long will it take you to answer? What is a “kind person” to you? We think of a kind or a “mabait” person as someone who is gentle, generous, and tenderhearted. Never offensive; walang kaaway. But how do you know if a person’s kindness is genuine? 

Katelyn McClure started a GoFundMe petition for a homeless man who gave her his last $20 so she could get gas. Their story went viral, with people being so touched that 14,000 donations came in, totaling to about $400,000. Sometime later, her heart of gold was chipped, revealing that it was fake. Everything was a scam. She nor the supposedly generous homeless man weren’t really kind.

Genuine kindness springs from the heart. Jesus calls us to do the right behavior, which starts from having the right attitude. In one of His sermons, He talked about how we should treat others: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35).” The Son of God did more than talk about being kind; He actually lived it. Need proof? Look at the cross. When Jesus was about to die, He said about His enemies in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

In a world where some people fake kindness, be like Jesus who showed it best.