Read: Ephesians 4:1

My granddaughter is two and a half. As I expected, she started asking, “Why?” a couple of months ago.

Me: Finley, let’s put the toys away.

Finley: Why?

Me: Because we are done playing with them.

Finley: Why?

And on it goes.

Sometimes I want to know why. Why should I be kind?

Our scripture reading for today gives us the why behind kindness. Paul begins chapter 4 with, “Therefore…” So, because of what he said previously, he begs us to live a certain way. He begs us to “live a life worthy of your calling.” And a life worthy of the calling is a life of kindness.

So now my question is “What?” What is my calling? In this verse, a calling is an invitation. It is the invitation of God to be a part of his mysterious plan. That plan is that Jews and Gentiles come together in perfect unity, accessing all of God’s riches and sharing in the inheritance of Jesus. It is an invitation to join the royal family. See Ephesians 3:6-7.

Because we have this great invitation – or calling – Paul begs us to live a life worthy of the invitation.

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, she agreed to take on certain behaviors that would become the royal family. Her behavior is scrutinized and reflects back on the royal family.

In the same way, our behavior reflects on the Royal Family – the family of God.

Why, then, do we choose to be kind? Because it is the proper response to an invitation to be a part of the Royal Family. And that’s a pretty good reason in my mind.