A kind world

Today is the day of kindness. It is God's day. Today is God's idea, sometimes I like to think: God's invention. He owns the trademark for this day. It is God's domain, power, and presence.

And how is this day? For me, few adjectives describe better the nature a real day than a day of kindness.  Life is benign, constructive, embracing, merciful, pure, inclusive. Life is rich. Life is God. This is the Life that is the only true existence we all will ever know - "we" meaning every single woman, man, or child, every animal, plant life, everything in the universe, yes, the universe itself. A kind world. God's world is something to discover and explore, every day. And it works best when focusing on good for all and looking deeper than just the surface of things. There is a continuity of kindness running through Life that is ours to explore --- through listening and the willingness to see good unfold for all, not just ourselves.

Today presented an opportunity for our family to demonstrate something of this kindness. Our daughter is flying to Johannesburg, South Africa, to continue her studies at the University of Pretoria. While en route, several obstacles presented itself, including a tight time table and luggage that seemed too heavy to be accepted on board. We prayed, we listened to the peaceful, friendly inspirations from Love, at first quietly waiting to be heard through the noise of fear and concern. And the listening brought to the surface what really mattered. "God is kind" illuminated my waiting thought and filled my heart. "Kindness" is benign. It is a big, incorporeal smile --- like a "yes" of acceptance waiting for you as you turn the next corner or enter the room you are supposed to be in right now. I could see our daughter and everyone today traveling being embraced and supported by a big and phenomenal smile of Spirit, the active embrace of divine law always in our favor.

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever." (Psalm 23 in the NLT)

Isn't it pretty obvious that goodness and unfailing love not only pursue us - but definitely already walk towards us, meet us where we are and present to us the fullness of possibilities in the here and now? A much beloved hymn in many churches takes us some verses from Psalm 145 set to music:

REFRAIN / I will bless the Lord and give Him glory. / O I will bless His name and give Him glory. /

The Lord is gracious and merciful, / Great in kindness and good to all. / The Lord is righteous in all His ways; / Bless the Lord and give Him praise. / / REFRAIN (Hymn. 505:1, 2)

To someone not familiar with prayer, this praise might mean, in my words: Acknowledging and bowing before an incredibly grand and kind Principle, accepting Life as inherently good and doing everything in my human power to keep the notion of an ego with an agenda focused only on self and vulnerabilities of its own - "me first" instead of "win-win for all" - in check.

For several hours we diligently upheld the feeling, the understanding, and the commitment to kindness. Love is infinite. Every encounter: Let it be kind! Every thought: Let it be understood, that kindness sustains itself, because it has its source in Life, which is Love. Every feeling: Let it be informed by kindness and the equal import of every interest, need and desire.

The obstacles were effortlessly overcome, patience ruled the day, the luggage was weighed and was found just right --- and even a lunch break was included with coffee for dessert.

The aftermath of the Apartheid regime and the enormous need for kindness with each other is something I continue to ponder and nurture. Now with one mental foot in South Africa's door, I honor even more diligently each effort to heal a nation, to heal a world. Because in the end only God is real, only being what God wants us to be is going to withstand the test of time, only loving each other is authentic. Kindness is the law in God's world, regulating all its elements. A kind world preparing your place. 

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