Unusual kindness
by Jonathan Krause
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold (Acts 28:2).
Read Acts 28:1–16
There’s a lady I know who came to Australia as a refugee from Vietnam.
She arrived on a boat, huddled with family members, at a time when Australia open-heartedly welcomed in those who had lost all.
(I know there’s a political conversation these days about that subject, but let’s just leave that to the side.)
The lady was resettled in Tasmania. When the plane arrived, she only had light clothes after coming from the tropical heat. As she and her fellow refugees stepped off the plane into their new life, there at the bottom of the steps was a group of volunteers, waiting for them with army blankets to ward off the cold.
The love in that kindness brings me to tears.
It takes me back to a refugee camp I visited in Ethiopia on the border with Somalia. The main building was a corrugated iron hut. On it was taped a sign that said, ‘Welcome’. Then, the first words each refugee heard were: ‘Welcome. You are safe now. This is your new home. We will take care of you.’
In Poland, where church communities welcomed families fleeing as refugees from Ukraine, instead of calling the people refugees, they called them guests.
It can be hard to be kind. Those who need our kindness may not always be neat and tidy or easy to care for. These people may need more than we feel we can give. Perhaps that is why kindness can often seem ‘unusual’.
Yet, as Christians, we are often called to live in a way that is unusual and makes no earthly sense. To unfold an army blanket. To build a fire. To offer shelter. When we do, just like those islanders, we can take heart from what Paul (a survivor of the shipwreck and seated at the fire the islanders built) said:
‘Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it’ (Hebrews 13:2).
Thank you, Jesus, for your unusual kindness to me and your love that took you to the cross – for me. I am so blessed by the comfort of your grace. Thank you. Amen.
Jonathan lives south of Adelaide with his wife Julie. Blessed by children and grandchildren, Jonathan enjoys reading and writing, walking by the beach and watching Collingwood win. Author of many devotion books, Jonathan is the Community Action Manager for Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS).
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
