Hey friend-

Last week, as I was thinking about writing again, I made a note: “Write about being kind. Or being helpful.” And now as I’m trying to figure out what to say to you, I’m not being kind. To myself.

It’s a funny word. It doesn’t feel like an American word, actually. We hear about being independent and bold and generous (sometimes). But kind doesn’t get a lot of press.

Which is unfortunate.

In one of his letters, in a list of things to do and to not do, Paul writes, “Be kind to one another.”

Earlier in that same letter, Paul talks about God’s “kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” So it’s possible, in deciding what it means for us to be kind to one another, we could look at now Jesus was kind, and how the coming of Jesus was an expression of being kind.

Right?

So calming the wind but not firing the disciples might be a way to understand how to be kind to one another. Using whatever power we have for the wellbeing of others (like feeding 15,000 people) might be a way to understand being kind. Talking to a kid, touching people who were considered untouchable, forgiving the people who were killing you, are all ways to understand being kind.

I know. We could say, “But I’m not Jesus.” Which is true. “But is that kind?” is an appropriate response. Just because we are not Jesus is not an excuse to be unkind.

And, I suppose that we could also debate who counts as “one another.”

I’m not sure I want to enter that debate, to decide who to be cruel to, who do be unkind to.

I’m guessing “kind” isn’t a list as much as it is an attitude or aspiration, being kind to everyone Jesus was kind to.