2 Samuel 9:1-3 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake… And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

My father was playing basketball with some men at the church a while back, when a young man went began to curse him out, and then storm off. My dad had many options. He was the pastor. No one should speak to him like that, at “his” church. My dad chose this option: he noticed that this young man could use some new shoes, and bought him some nice, new Nike’s, and set them on the seat of his car. Further, my father learned that this young man’s dad had just passed away, and it must have been a difficult time in his life.

How can we respond with kindness toward those who need it most? How can we love even those that seem unlovable? Not long before this event in David’s life, it seems that he despised the lame and the blind. Further, David was at variance (even war) with the house of Saul. How then did David have desire spring up within him to show kindness to the house of Saul?

David gives us the answer in 2 Samuel 9:3. It was not David’s own kindness that he desired to show, but the kindness of God working through him. The same is true for us. If we’re going to make a difference in the lives of those God has called us to serve, we need to allow God’s kindness to work through us, and show His kindness to them.

How will we love the cursing bus kid with a broken home, or the single mom whose life is a mess, or the broken marriage that seems hopeless, or the teenage punk in the youth group? How can we make a difference in their lives? Most likely, it will not be by following our natural intuition or inclinations. We will make a difference when we endeavor to allow God’s kindness to flow through us, and show it to them.

Two questions to consider: Has God been kind to us, despite us? To whom can we show the kindness of God today?