Kindness to Strangers
Who knows, perhaps I entertained an angel for a few moments in time?
I was at my local coffee shop the other day when I met a guy named Jim. Jim noticed the small wooden cross I was wearing around my neck and he commented on it. I told him that I wore this cross as a reminder for me to pray to Christ every single day. He appreciated this idea since he was a believer in Jesus himself. We had a very short interaction but it felt very kind and genuine. He seemed like a very nice person, even if I didn't know him at all. I hope I exuded the same level of kindness to him too.
It reminded me about something the Scriptures say about being good and kind to people, including strangers. We're called to be loving and hospitable to everyone. After all, God's most important attribute is love. The Bible explains that "God is love" (1 Jn. 4:8 ESV). It would make sense then that we, God's children, would exude the same kind of love to others that our Heavenly Father is known for. And that includes being loving even to complete strangers. Like strangers in line at a coffee shop. Or strangers in a parking lot. Strangers inside the grocery store. Or Strangers in your neighborhood.
The book of Hebrews gives us an interesting insight to think about when it comes to being kind and hospitable to strangers. The author of Hebrews writes, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it" (Heb. 13:2 NIV).
It's an interesting verse because many of us don't actually think about angels often. We easily forget that there is a spiritual world that includes angels. We think angels are only in heaven doing God's work (which they can be). But the author of Hebrews informs us that angels can also be among us on earth. We are just completely unaware of such a fact. So, we're encouraged to be kind and hospitable to everyone because you never know when you're actually displaying love to one of God's angels traveling on earth.
This gives us reason to be kind and loving to everyone, including strangers. We never know who it is we are serving in the end. By being kind to me, Jim reminded me to show even just a little bit of kindness to strangers. I hope that I had shown him kindness too. Who knows, perhaps I entertained an angel for a few moments in time?
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
