Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.  A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”…The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) John 4:6-7; 9 ESV

When we think of kindness we often think of giving, but kindness is really about sharing and sometimes sharing begins when we ask for help. Asking for help tells someone else that they have importance and value. Notice in the story today, just how amazed the Samaritan woman was, when Jesus asked her for a drink. “After all,” she reasoned, “I am just a woman, and a Samaritan one at that.! Because in her experience not only were women treated with badly, but Samaritans, in particular, were the object of racial discrimination by the Jews.

But then Jesus began speaking to her and offering a living water that He had for her to drink. Now, both a little startled and confused, she began asking some questions of her own. To her surprise, she found that, unlike other men she had known, He was patient and willing to listen.  At that moment, it was not His mighty works or miracles that unlocked her heart, but His kindness.  What greater gift we could give another than the kindness of Jesus, that says to them, “I have time for you, and you matter to me!” So on this second day of 12 gifts, why not ask, “To who can I give a gift of kindness today?” We won’t need to go searching high and low. Just leave the searching to God. He has a funny way of bringing us just the right someone if we’ll just sit down by a well and rest!