But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV)

Kindness is the fifth attribute of the fruit of the Spirit.

Kindness is referred to in Greek as chrēstotēs which means "to be tender, benign, or morally upright." It refers to the character of a person behind an action. God's kindness to us is the essence of His being. This means that God is not only nice to you when you are well-behaved or when He is in a good mood. Rather God is consistently and constantly showing His kindness to us, regardless of what we have done or not done.

Lots of people mistake niceness for kindness. They are not the same, despite the fact that we use them interchangeably. Being nice has a lot to do with establishing or maintaining a good reputation and being kind stems from having a good character. Niceness is concerned with how we want others to perceive us through what we say or do. Kindness, on the other hand, entails saying or doing what is the right thing for the other person. In other words, niceness is the acquisition of a social skill, whereas kindness is the possession of a spiritual ability.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we should be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32). In other words, being a part of a community involves more than just being nice to one another. It is to become deeply and personally involved in the lives of those whom God has blessed us with the opportunity to serve each other. We cannot grow an authentic and loving community committed to knowing God and making Him known unless we invest in spiritually healthy relationships.

If we can't be kind to ourselves, how can we be kind to others?

It is always good and right for us to rely on the Holy Spirit's grace to open new doors of friendship. Take the time to be kind, even if you are afraid of being taken advantage of or worried about being wrong about caring for someone. People will appreciate your kindness if you learn to be genuine in your words and actions.