What Kindness Looks Like

 

Over and over and over again I have to remember this. I think in the video I shared yesterday Fr Stephen Freeman says: even Christ said --

I have not come to judge the world, I came to save it.

For all different reasons we are tempted to judge another; it can be of course first our sin of pride, every human being struggles with this in life, but also sometimes because we don't realize that we are sad or lonely and just want to feel less alone. Does that make sense? We look for someone to relate to and when we judge another person we seperate ourselves from that person (more lonely) or are upset because they don't fit what who we think we need in our lives. (That also would be pride).

From what I understand, the more we know God and God the Father's love for us, for everyone, the less we will so quickly think ill of another person.

Another way that has helped me (I struggle with this sadly and that's why I can write about it) is to think about a profound line I read a few years ago about someone who was dying and trying to tell the girl he loved that he was dying:

He's been trying to say goodbye to you all this time.

(paraphrased).

If I think about the fact that ALL of us will die then we will be less likely to want to waste time hurting a person, even in our thoughts, when we will all die one day. And then we can never take back, save by God's mysterious mercy, any unkindness we did to another.

Our happiness, freedom and joy comes when we love others....

[photo shared from a friend]

[wrote this on social media this morning, wanted to share here]