There is a pin I have seen on pinterest that says “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Today it struck me how true that is.

I had the opportunity to go out with one of my elders and visit with a few people this week. As I listened to one lady’s story I thought of how much weight she had to carry. Her son has been through a difficult health issue, she has a parent in the throws of Alzheimer’s and a parent-in-law also showing signs of dementia.

If you were to bump into this lady in the local grocery store, you wouldn’t have any idea that all of this is going on. She is positive and upbeat. She enjoys life and is active and healthy herself. And yet, she carries this heavy burden.

We don’t know the burdens that others carry or the struggles they face. We don’t know the difference that our kindness might make to another who is weary with the stress of life.

That is why Jesus calls us to always show kindness and love to everyone we come into contact with. I think Jesus knew what it was to face struggle, uncertainty and a future that meant pain and rejection. I think he knew what it was to bear a heavy burden. I hope he knew what it was to be touched by the kindness of others.

The call to kindness isn’t just so we be or seem ‘nice.’ It is actually a sacred call to the healing of this world. In kindness shared, the burdens of others are lifted and the world is changed for the better.

Life is busy and sometimes it is easy to be caught up in our own stuff and miss the need that is before us. My prayer is that Jesus would change my heart so that I don’t need any more reason to be kind than the fact that everyone I meet is facing a hard battle.