Hey there,
The divide in our world is growing. Man vs. woman. Black vs. white. Christian vs. Muslim. Democrat vs. Republican. There’s no end to the labels we apply to those who are not like us.
We focus on what separates us. And are driven even further apart.
The real tragedy is the discord, anger, and insults opposing sides hurl at the other. In person. In the media. In social media. There’s no escaping it.
We used to be able to disagree and still respect each other. What happened to honest debate?
It’s rare to see someone defending her perspective without insulting those with a differing view. We’ve adopted the mentality “if you’re not with me, you’re against me.” And we go on the offensive.
It’s easy to get pulled into the us vs. them mindset. To view anyone outside our circle as wrong … as not smart … as not Christian. To have no tolerance for them, whether it’s due to gender, race, religion, age, politics, etc. To think it’s okay to insult them or hurt their feelings because they are “them” and they are in the wrong.
This is opposite of what Jesus did … and what He teaches us to do.
Jesus loves us all. He doesn’t put labels on us. He wants us all to see the beauty and grace in each other … to have more patience, kindness, and love for one another. Jesus welcomes us all to the kingdom of heaven, regardless of the circles we run in.
It’s time we reevaluate how we see others and work towards unity … instead of division. This week’s issue of Genuflect looks at ways to be closer to God by removing labels, being more inclusive, and spreading more kindness. We look at how to upgrade a nice act to become a kind act, the chain reaction kindness causes, how to see the goodness around us and how to love our enemies, and ideas for acts of kindness and changing our mindset.
This is an area I for one will work to improve on.
Keep Believing-
Katy Barrilleaux
Founding Editor, Genuflect
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Kindness Begins in Your Heart
It’s not always easy to be kind toward others. We need help from Our Lord to succeed. And it all begins in our heart.
How Kindness Begins in Your Heart | Aleteia
Kindness > Niceness
Being nice is great. But Mark Belanger explains the difference between niceness and kindness, why being kind is even better, and how to turn a nice act into a kind act.
True Kindness is Love in Action | Catholic Stand
Chain Reaction of Kindness
The Pay it Forward movement has helped shine the spotlight on kind acts for others. But Mytae Carrasco Wallace explains how decisions we make on a daily basis can also have a ripple effect of kindness towards others.
Slow Down, Make The Connection | Blessed is She
See The Good
There is evil and sadness all around us. And it’s usually what we see, hear, and read about on a daily basis. Sam Guzman reminds us there is more good in this world than evil … and goodness is what we should focus on. Here’s how.
There’s Good in This World. And it’s Worth Fighting For | The Catholic Gentleman
How to Love Your Enemies
How do we show kindness when someone is rude and unkind to us? Terri Hutchison understands the struggle is real. She shares 4 ways the Lord helps her through these real world situations.
A Practical Guide to Loving Your Enemies | Busted Halo
Avoiding us vs. Them
Today, perhaps more than ever before, we live by an “us” versus “them” mentality. The challenge for us in these days is to try to come to an understanding that, in the end, it isn’t our “belonging” or even our correctness that determines the quality of our discipleship.
When “us” vs “Them” Poisoned the Apostles The Way It’s Poisoning us | Aleteia
Ways to be Kind
Research has shown that being kind can make you happier. So if you need a little pick-me-up, here are 30 ways to be kind.
30 Ways to be Kind And be Happier | Life Hack
Change Your Mindset
Callah Alexander figured out how a positive spin on chore requests to her children activates their desire to perform acts of kindness. It’s a brilliant mindset that will help us all!
Stop Trying so Hard to “Live Healthy” | Aleteia
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