There is a power in kindness that goes far beyond politeness. It is not a performance, a social habit, or a strategic gesture. True kindness—Spirit-led kindness—has the ability to break down walls, melt fear, and open the door to healing where no other force can. It is not loud or dramatic. It doesn’t make headlines. But its impact is profound.
A Course in Miracles doesn’t use the word “kindness” as often as it uses words like love, forgiveness, or peace. But its presence is implied in every teaching. Kindness is the natural expression of a mind at peace. It’s what love looks like when extended into the world.
Kindness is not weakness. In fact, it takes great strength to be kind in a world that teaches defensiveness. It takes courage to respond with gentleness when attacked, to remain soft when others are harsh, to forgive when the ego screams for vengeance.
But kindness isn’t about being passive. It’s about being aligned. It means acting from a place of remembering who you are and who the other person is—beneath the fear, beneath the ego, beneath the conflict.
The Course tells us:
“You are very holy, because you are the Mind of God.”
If this is true, and it is, then every act of kindness is a reminder of that holiness. A reflection of the divine. Not just in the one who gives it—but in the one who receives it.
Think of the moments in your life when kindness truly changed you. Maybe it was a stranger’s unexpected compassion when you were having a terrible day. Maybe it was a friend’s presence during your grief. Maybe it was someone offering forgiveness when you couldn’t forgive yourself.
Those moments didn’t fix your problems. But they shifted something deeper. They reminded you that love still existed, that gentleness was still possible, that connection was still real.
One of the great illusions of the ego is that we must protect ourselves from others. That if we’re too kind, we’ll be taken advantage of. But the truth is that kindness protects us. It shields us from the corrosive effects of bitterness and judgment. It keeps our hearts open. It keeps us in alignment with our true identity.
A dear friend once said to me, “When in doubt, be kind.” I’ve returned to that advice more times than I can count. It has never failed me. Not once. Kindness has never made me feel small. It has only made me feel spacious—like I stepped into a larger version of myself.
There’s a quiet kind of miracle that happens when we extend kindness, especially to those we believe don’t deserve it. In that moment, we are choosing to see them as Spirit sees them—not through their words, not through their behavior, but through their being.
The Course doesn’t ask us to like everyone or agree with everyone. It asks us to see everyone as a brother or sister. As equally deserving of love. As equally holy.
Kindness, then, becomes an act of vision. It’s not just about what you do—it’s about what you see. When you’re kind to someone who seems undeserving, you’re not ignoring their flaws—you’re choosing to see past them. You’re choosing to affirm the truth, rather than reinforce the illusion.
And sometimes, the person most in need of your kindness… is you.
We can be so hard on ourselves. So critical. So quick to judge. We measure ourselves against impossible standards, punish ourselves for missteps, and withhold the very gentleness we offer to others.
But the Inner Teacher—the Holy Spirit—never speaks with harshness. Never uses shame. Never attacks. His guidance is always kind, always gentle, always healing. And when we tune into His Voice, we begin to mirror that same tone toward ourselves.
A small act of kindness—toward a stranger, a loved one, or yourself—ripples far beyond what we can measure. It sends a signal into the collective that says: Love still lives here.
It might be a smile to the cashier.
A gentle tone in a tense moment.
A thank-you note.
An apology.
An extra moment of patience.
A silent blessing.
The ego will tell you these things are insignificant. But the Spirit knows better.
The Course reminds us:
“To give and to receive are one in truth.”
When you are kind, you’re not just giving—you are receiving. You are receiving peace. You are receiving the remembrance of who you are. You are receiving healing in the exact moment you offer it.
Kindness interrupts fear.
It disrupts the cycle of judgment.
It replaces the need to be right with the desire to be whole.
The world desperately needs this kind of kindness—not random, not performative, but rooted. Rooted in the knowledge that we are not enemies. We are not separate. We are not here to attack, but to awaken.
And kindness is often the first spark of that awakening.
So today, choose kindness. Not just when it’s easy. Especially when it’s not.
Be kind when it’s awkward. When it’s undeserved. When it’s uncomfortable.
Be kind even when you feel small. Because kindness will remind you that you are not small at all.
You are the light of the world.
And when you shine that light through a single act of love, you help others remember that they can shine too.
That’s how kindness changes everything.
Quietly.
Softly.
One sacred moment at a time.
