Why choose kindness?

According to American aviator Amelia Earhart, “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” Kindness makes a difference. And in an age where it might seem easier to dash off an angry message (or do something even more vitriolic), kindness can be a powerful choice for healing.

Choosing to act in this way is expressing the divine qualities inherent in our true nature as the reflection of God, Love. And this helps others gain a glimpse of the all-encompassing love of God.

The Bible teaches that God is Love – infinite and always available, with no unlovely or unloving element. Therefore, we, as God’s children, created in Love’s image and likeness, naturally reflect our all-loving creator. God’s love is ensured for all.

Perhaps the highest act of kindness, then, is to examine our thinking for any judgmentalism or defensiveness toward another and exchange this for a deeper understanding of them as a beloved child of God. This is not always easy. But when we pray to let our view be changed – to yield to God’s view of creation and to love as God loves – we are exercising the same spiritual perception that undergirded Christ Jesus’ healings.

Jesus taught his followers this covenant of kindness between God and man and between man and his “neighbour” (see Luke 10:27). He showed that when individuals choose to love others, even those they may consider enemies, they are responding to God’s law of ever-present good – a law that is constantly in operation. Divine Love’s presence replaces angst and dismay with an atmosphere of compassion that expands and heals.

Jesus showed how divinely led compassion lifts individuals out of despondence. The humble, repentant heart found peace and warmth when coming to Jesus – such as when he was a guest at the house of a Pharisee named Simon. A woman who was a sinner and an outcast entered, and Jesus welcomed her. He forgave her sins, despite the harsh judgment of his host (see Luke 7:36-50).

Jesus’ compassion transformed the spiritual disconnect that this woman and other individuals experienced. This reflection of God’s care freed them from suffering.

Jesus taught that everyone, regardless of their background or social standing, deserves to be treated kindly – because we are all the loved children of one divine Father-Mother. In this spiritually focused view, there is no room for superiority or harsh judgment. Kindness is the law of divine good in operation – we can’t help acting with kindness when we are striving daily to know and reflect God as Love.

We can do this because man is not defined by a human personality or ego; we are “the idea of infinite Mind, always perfect in God, in Truth, Life, and Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 5) – although this isn’t always readily accepted when our thinking is laden with materialistic conditioning and beliefs.

To honor the true man – the real, spiritual identity of each one of us – right where a messed-up mortal seems to be, is following in Jesus’ footsteps. And Christ, the divine influence for good in human consciousness, helps us to do this. Jesus didn’t avoid the down-and-out in society, or even those who were hard to love or didn’t seem to deserve kindness because they hadn’t acted kindly toward others. Instead, he saw beneath the surface appearance to the reality of their true being as God’s children, and this redeemed them.

This doesn’t mean pretending things are fine when they’re not. It doesn’t mean ignoring or glossing over someone’s difficulty or overlooking injustice. Jesus’ correct spiritual view of others actually brought transformation to individuals, healing them of sickness and sin.

Christian Science reveals divine Truth’s authority and Love’s infinitude. So right when sin presents itself in our thoughts or actions or those of another, or when sickness entraps us, we can gain a new view based on the infinite nature of divine Love. In the allness of divine Love, no claim of sin or sickness has any real hold on anyone. Knowing this brings healing.

Choosing to practice the Christly affection Jesus taught is not only kind but also helps others experience the self-forgiveness and reformation that bring healing. Consider what might happen, individually and collectively, if we were to become conscious of God’s infinite love and the spiritual fact that nothing except Love and its effects are real. When this recognition touches human thought, we experience harmony and peace. And this plants seeds that can bless far beyond our present experience.

Adapted from an article published on sentinel.christianscience.com, May 8, 2025.