“I have come to the conclusion that only what we gain by kindness can really be accomplished; that what cannot be accomplished by kindness cannot be accomplished at all,” wrote Alfred Farlow, an early Christian Scientist (“‘A soft answer turneth away wrath,’” Christian Science Sentinel, Sept. 7, 1907).
I just love that. Nothing can truly be gained if kindness is not at the very heart and center of all our actions. And why so?
One answer might turn on gaining a better understanding of God as universal, ever-present Love. This elevates kindness from a human act to something grounded in the divine source of limitless love. Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, wrote, “The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 113).
Throughout her writings Mrs. Eddy links Love with Principle, another synonym for God. After a remarkable healing in February 1866 that led her to look further for answers in Christ Jesus’ teachings, Mrs. Eddy came to understand that there is an underlying law of good that harmoniously governs all. This is the Science aspect of the Science of Christianity. Turning to this divine law results in the restoration of harmony and healing.
This is how Mrs. Eddy put it in an article titled “Precept upon precept”: “God is All, and by virtue of this nature and allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislative bill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislators know not, the universal law of God has no knowledge of evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart and governs it” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 208).
One way I’ve found it helpful to understand this universality is to think in terms of the law of buoyancy. Provided it is watertight, any boat or ship will always float. The size of the vessel doesn’t matter, be it a cruise ship or a 30-foot yacht.
Applying this understanding to “the universal law of God,” it can be seen that kindness is not a mere human quality possessed by some but not by others. Rather, it is inherent in everyone at all times and under all circumstances. As God’s spiritual offspring we are in truth the reflection of divine Love, created to express all Love-derived qualities, including kindness.
This is the bright light that Christian Science brings to Christ Jesus’ instruction, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34). This is how we go forward in moments of doubt or despair. This is why we can rise each morning with a heartfelt desire to be a better coworker, a more loving spouse, a more unselfish neighbor.
There was a time when I had a modest opportunity to put all this into practice. A family member offered a few words of encouragement about something that had been bothering me. However, I pretty much ignored them, and the family member left the room, visibly upset.
Later that morning, I realized that I needed to lift off, as impersonal, all claims of anger, discord, and thoughtlessness. I quietly and diligently prayed to understand that, as we read in Science and Health, “Evil has no reality” (p. 71). Such unhappy states of thoughts as anger, bitterness, etc. do not truly belong to me or, indeed, to anyone in our real nature as the spiritual expression of Love. Thus, they can have no true hold on us.
A couple of hours later I was walking to the bus stop and felt a most wonderful peace, a peace that went to the very core of my being and felt far greater than mere human peace. I felt a sense of completeness and utter inner joy which was very strengthening. I knew with total conviction that this uplift was the direct result of my prayers earlier that morning.
What was also very lovely was that when I next saw my relative later that day, all sense of anger and bitterness had been washed away and we were very pleased to see each other. What I learned through this experience has had a happy effect on my relationships since. Increasingly I’m glimpsing that when fear, anger, or distrust comes knocking at my mental door, or when I’m tempted to speak unkindly or to willfully push my own agenda on a matter, that this is the time to step back and remember that I’m entirely capable of loving, of being unselfish and kind.
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26). Each of us can endeavor to live out our lives from this perspective and experience just how much can be gained, for ourselves and others, by making Love-inspired kindness a central plank of our daily lives.
