Be Kind

 As a follower of Jesus, I see a lot of confusion in the Christian community about kindness. People say, "Christians are supposed to be kind;" sometimes they say this as justification for not standing up to bullying or injustice, sometimes they use this against others when they are trying to hold them accountable. Sometimes people say this even as justification for 'loving on' someone without even checking in with the person in question. In many situations, the concept of kindness is abused. Yes, the Christian Scriptures tell us to be kind. Yes, Jesus was kind to those around him. Yes, kindness is one of St. Paul's Fruits of the Spirit. Yes, we are called to be kind. However, (however, however, however!) we are not called to use kindness to allow others to walk over us or to justify disrespectful acts or to get out of the consequences of our own behavior. This is where I see the real strength of this quote from Asha Dornfest. Kindness is an act of resistance. Resistance against the sins and malice of the world. Remembering kindness as the act of a rebel reminds us of how reformatory Jesus was, how much against the political and socioeconomic powers of his day he was. Being kind involves us in that tradition and the ongoing revolution of God's grace in this world. Be kind! Be a rebel! Be a lightmaker!

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