“…the world needs us to belong to each other, to hear each other, to hurt with each other, to be kind to one another.
Kindle us with kindness, Lord, keep us with kindness, kiss us with kindness.
Please, resurrect us all with a courageous kindness
that heals countless hurting wounds
with a Brave Giving Love like Yours” (Ann Voskamp).

In these days of social media, it’s so very easy to sit behind a computer screen and tear into someone else verbally. It’s easy to berate and belittle those who dare to voice a dissenting opinion.

Those who proclaim the loudest to be the most tolerant are often the quickest to pounce on someone whose words could be construed in any way to be offensive (regardless of whether those words were taken out of context or not).

Kindness is harder. It’s not the automatic response for most of us when people do and say things we don’t like. Sometimes, it takes tremendous courage to be kind when everyone else expects you to be just as nasty as the people who hurt you.

Kindness is also the better way. It’s Jesus’ way. Jesus modeled kindness and forgiveness throughout His earthly ministry.

Choose kindness. After all, you never know what secret battles people are facing or how far they’ve come. You know enough of what you’d be apart from the grace of God to know how much you needed kindness and how much others need it from you.

Choose kindness.