What Kindness Is | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

What Kindness Is

The answer the world is missing, but needs most

93
What Kindness Is
empoweredlifesolutions.com

Unless you've been living under a rock (in which case I envy you), you've probably seen or heard something politics-related, especially this past week. There's been a lot going on. The inauguration of our new president, the Women's March, the controversy and arguments behind both. And that's just the surface.

Usually, I'm ready to discuss all things politics. I used to want nothing to do with it, but with how much of it has been forced on me the past year-and-a-half, I've learned it's an important thing to discuss and something that always had room for improvement and we play a huge part in that. But lately, I've slipped back to how I used to be, rolling my eyes and scrolling past anything involving politics. I'm weary of it.

Why?

Because we've forgotten what being civil and kind means.

The other day I read Ephesians 4:31-32. It says: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (ESV) I wanted to plaster that all over anything within a hundred-mile radius and scream it on every roof top. This is the one thing we've forgotten, and it breaks my heart. Kindness. What a beautiful word, with a beautiful meaning, with a beautiful and massive effect.

Kindness is what brings us together, what helps us grow, what gives us joy. Kindness is what keeps this world spinning.

And that's why it's falling apart.

We as humans now have the mindset that, if someone does not share our morals, they are automatically wrong and we need to educate them on where they've gone wrong (which more than often leads to more division than anything). That our opinions always needed to be heard, and if someone disagrees, they're foolish, being confrontational, or "part of the problem."

Newsflash: that is not kindness.

Kindness is loving a person who disagrees with you or has different morals than you and seeing them as a precious soul despite what they say or do, just as Christ does.

Kindness is forgiving those who hurt, insult, and demean others, despite how hard that may be, because we know that the same gift was given to us and we didn't deserve it any more than they do.

Kindness is seeing all as equal and beautiful and with a purpose, even when it's so easy to let yourself despise them and ridicule them because of what they do or say, because we were all created equal and therefore have equal room for growth and forgiveness.

Kindness is not pushing someone away or treating them as your lesser because they're different than you, because we were all human beings bursting with uniqueness; that our differences are what makes us beautiful, but Jesus looks beyond our differences and sees us for who we really are.

Kindness is so much more, so much that I could write a hundred more articles about it. And don't even get me started about how the above scriptures talk about forgiveness, tenderheartedness, and putting away with bitterness and wrath, etc. I'd never shut up!

Just remember: always be kind. To the pro-choice, the pro-life, the Muslims, the LGBTs, the Christians, the conservatives, the liberals, the people you find it almost impossible to pray for, the people who only bring negativity in your life, the people who've hurt you and you've hurt. Every race, every religion, every man or woman you ever meet...whoever it may be. They need kindness; we all need kindness. Put away your opinions and differences and remember that Christ was kind enough to come down to Earth to be with us (to die for us) and show us that it's worth it to be kind as well. That it pays off, even though it can be so, so hard. That it makes your life better, that it helps you grow, that it's completely worth it in the end.

So let's go out and spread some kindness to the world. Let's give humanity hope again. Let's show others what unconditional love is. Let's be the light. The change. Let's be what this world needs so desperately. And don't forget to be kind to yourself, because that's where it all starts.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

4080
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments