Love your neighbor

kind·ness

noun

1. 1. the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

What does the word kindness mean to you? The word has almost become insignificant in our world. We think that mindlessly opening a door for a stranger has made us a kind person. Or waving for someone to cut in front of you in traffic has made you a kind person. Kindness is more than just this. We live in a world now that is completely fixated on social media and it has opened so many doors for judgement and opinions. It's easy to scroll through your timeline on Facebook or Instagram or whatever social media it may be and instantly think to yourself or say aloud negative things about that person. 

Everybody is different. Nobody is going to dress, look, act or believe in exactly what you believe in. Everyone has different dreams for their life, different stories and different struggles.

What can you ever really know of other people’s souls— of their temptations, their opportunities, their struggles? One soul in the whole creation you do know: and it is the only one whose fate is placed in your hands. —C. S.LEWIS

Kindness is more than just lending someone a helping hand. Kindness is about not judging that person who posts their opinion on social media (including me & this blog post, haha). Kindness is about not judging that stranger who is in line in front of you at a coffee shop. Kindness is about not judging that friend who dresses differently than you. Kindness is about loving others and more than just pretending to love them to their face. It's about loving someone for who they are even if they are different than you. 

Judging other people has become such a natural response for us as humans that sometimes we don't even realize when we are doing it. We need to become more aware of the way we treat and love others even if these strangers, friends or family don't always show you love back. Live a life that people gravitate towards. Be a breath of fresh air. 

So remember this when you're with your girlfriends/guyfriends and they are talking about someone and the life they are living. Remember this when a stranger passes you by. Remember that someone is always going through something whether it is obvious to see or not. Nobody was raised in the exact same home as you and had the same experiences in life that you have...and that's okay. Love your neighbor. 

Now it's time I read my own blog post because lets face it, nobody is perfect. Jesus was perfect and because of him it doesn't make it okay that we live a life of sin, but it means we are forgiven. Now THAT is a breath of fresh air. 

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Ephesians 1:7)