Kindness Matters

After all the evil evident in our world lately, one thing is clear to me now more than ever: kindness matters. Kindness is so starkly contrasting against the hatred and ignorance we're seeing, which is why I believe it is so powerful. True kindness is never selfish or afraid. It is inviting, gentle, and warm. And it's what I want to live my life by- what I hope we all have the strength to live by.

I talk about kindness often because I value it greatly. As a matter of fact, when I think about the whole "list of qualities for a future husband" (that every Christian girl is apparently required to have ;), kindness is at the very top of my list.

Yet I am not perfect at it myself. I am not always kind. I lose my patience more than I'd like to, and I sometimes forget about empathy until I've said words I regret. I'm still such a work in progress on this area, so I don't want my call for kindness to be interpreted as a self-righteous one. I'm far from my ideal of it myself, trust me.

But one thing I do know, and it's that the love of Jesus is kind and that makes Him our best example to follow. God is kindness personified. He is gentle and tender with our hearts, and no fear has held him back from giving it all for us. That is what I believe true love looks like, and the way I hope to someday truly love people.

When the darkness of this world threatens to overwhelm your heart, remember this amazing power that we've been given: the power to be kind. It's the power to smile at people who might not smile first at us. The power to offer a kind word to a stranger who looks worn out. The power to spread light and goodness in a world that so desperately needs it right now.

I am convinced that we will not prevail against evil with more hatred. But spreading kindness without restraint- now that's bound to tick off the leader of evil himself. And right now, the thought of that really makes me happy.

#christian #2015