“… and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, RSV)
Kindness: we all know it when we are recipients of it from others, for it immediately produces a sense of warmth in our hearts. It seems to remind us that we’re not on our own, that we’re not orphans, that we’re part of humanity.
We are told by our Lord that we are to love one another as he has loved us. That is a daunting command, and without doubt we are entirely unable to fulfill it apart from the Holy Spirit loving in us and through us as we abide in the supernatural life of the Vine: “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15).
Kindness is certainly a basic part of loving others: as the above verse says, we are to be tenderhearted instead of hardheaded: forgiving instead of holding a grudge; generously merciful as God is.
The word “kindness” is interesting when you stop to think about it. Recognizing that each human person – no matter how disfigured by brokenness, sin, or unfortunate circumstances – is of the same “kind” as we are is foundational if we are to obey God’s command and live in harmony with one another. Recognizing that – despite all outward appearances – we are all “kin”, created by God the Father in his image, is crucial to being true disciples of Christ.
The decision of the will to acknowledge, in justice, what belongs to that recognition of “kinship” is the stuff of kindness – it demands that we act without disdain or dismissiveness, but instead with respect, courtesy, even honor. When we have a hard time even thinking about loving someone we find hard to love, we can at a minimum choose to be kind to them. It’s a good place to start, and usually doesn’t cost us very much.
For we should remember that either actually or potentially (we never know who might eventually come into God’s family!) through our baptisms into Christ’s Body we are all members of the same “kind”: brothers and sisters, kin.
Lessons From Love School 