Nicer
Be Kind and Compassionate.
The soul’s inclination to love beauty.
Seeing the Divine.
Kindness, compassion, and forgiving. Those are some qualities to have and share. I made note of the verse from Ephesians four as I thought of these qualities, these virtues that bring a new depth to our relationships with one another, with ourselves, and with the divine mystery of God. This morning, I was meditating on that one word, kindness, and was reflecting on my conversation yesterday with Aunt Mary.
I was sitting with Mary, asking her all sorts of questions, and she was telling all these great stories. At one point, I told her how great this was because “when I grow up, I want to be a writer and tell stories like these.” Then, I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She caught me off guard when she smiled and dropped this profound wisdom gem, “nicer.”
I LOVED that answer. Then, I told her, “Mary, you’re already one of the nicest people I know.” She looked back at me, leaned in, and with a radiant grin of love said, “well, everyone can stand to be a little bit nicer.” I thought about how that powerful truth just effortlessly flowed. She had been quietly and humbly holding that, ready to share the beauty of her spirit at a moment’s notice.
Simone Weil wrote, “The beauty of the world is almost the only way by which we can allow God to penetrate us...Beauty captivates the senses in order to obtain permission to pass straight through to the soul...The soul’s inclination to love beauty is the trap God most frequently uses in order to win it.”
Simone’s message is as beautiful as the image of our world. These words touch my soul just as Mary’s words touched my soul. The wisdom and love of Simone and Mary like the “trap of God.” Waiting for just the right moment to seize our hearts.
“In the faces of men and women, I see the God.” ~ Walt Whitman
When we look deeply into the eyes of those around us, it is easy to see the divine mystery that connects us all. The love that is the love of God. This reminds me that when I grow up, I want to become someone who can see deeply, someone drawn to beauty, and someone who is kinder. Someone nicer.
Today, may we remember that all of us can stand to be a little bit more kind, compassionate, and forgiving. We can stand to be a little bit inclined to the beauty of God, his world, and his children.

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