The Boldness of Kindness

When love makes us lose the shame of asking

A man received a friend at midnight. The visitor had arrived from a journey and there was no bread to offer him.

So he went to another friend and asked for three loaves.

But the door was shut. Everyone was already in bed. It was not the time to bother anyone.

Even so, he knocked.

Jesus tells us that, even if the friend would not get up out of friendship, he would end up answering because of his anaídeia.

This Greek word, ἀναίδεια (anaídeia), can mean shamelessness, lack of shame, boldness or audacity.

What a surprising word!

The man was not asking to satisfy his own hunger. He was trying to feed someone who had arrived at his house.

Kindness set him in motion.

And the other person's need became more important than his own embarrassment.

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The boldness of doing good

Jesus went through cities and villages doing good.

He healed the sick, fed the crowds, freed the oppressed and welcomed rejected people.

Many times, his acts of kindness went against customs, expectations and religious interpretations.

When he healed a man on the Sabbath, he asked whether it was lawful on that day to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill.

Kindness did not let itself be imprisoned by the fear of bothering anyone.

But there is an important question.

What we want to do for another person is not always truly good for them.

We can act with the best intentions and still be mistaken.

That is why boldness needs to walk together with humility.

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We do not know what to ask for as we ought

Paul recognized our limitation:

“We do not know what we should pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

This is extraordinary.

Even when we want to help, we do not always know what to ask for, what to offer or how to act.

The man in the parable knew he needed bread.

We, many times, do not even know what the real need is of the one standing before us.

And Jesus, after teaching us to ask, seek and knock, reveals something wonderful:

“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The Father does not simply give us the resources to accomplish everything we imagine to be good.

He gives us the Holy Spirit.

And the Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God.

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Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear

If we do not know how to ask as we ought, listening becomes as important as asking.

The Spirit was not given only to comfort our insufficiency, but also to lead us.

Paul wrote:

“Do not quench the Spirit.”

And also:

“Test everything. Hold on to what is good.”

Listening to the Spirit does not mean abandoning discernment. It means recognizing that our understanding is limited and staying attentive to God's direction.

Kindness sets us in motion. Humility makes us willing to listen. And faith leads us to act.

Not because we understand everything.

But because we trust the one who sent us.

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Christ in us

Jesus said:

“Without me you can do nothing.”

And Paul revealed the mystery that had been hidden for generations:

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

All things were created through Christ and for him. In him all things hold together.

Therefore, we do not do good so that Christ will come to dwell in us.

It is by the life of Christ in us that his kindness can find expression in our actions.

God has already blessed us in Christ.

And now we walk by faith, because the righteous will live by faith.

A faith that works through love.

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The rest of kindness

Jesus sent us into the world and promised to be with us every day.

He did not send us because we already understand every mystery, but so that we would walk trusting in him.

And there is an extraordinary freedom when we stop living exclusively for our own needs.

The other person's need finds a place in our heart.

Kindness moves us.

The Spirit leads us.

And we find rest.

Not because all our needs have disappeared, but because we are no longer governed by them.

God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

So we can ask with boldness, listen with humility and walk by faith.

Because we are not the source of kindness.

It is Christ in us.