Whenever I write a post about a specific word, my first stop is always the dictionary. Of course I know "kind" isn't just an adjective, it's also a noun, but the two meanings got me thinking. The noun "kind" means "having similar characteristics". The adjective "kind" means "to be of a good or benevolent nature, and in 1 Corinthians 13, the word "kind" comes from the Greek work chrestos, which means mild or pleasant versus harsh or bitter.
For me, this means that God himself follows the Golden Rule, that he treats us the way he himself would like to be treated. That he desires good for us and is always actively working towards that ultimate good. That he is gentle in his treatment of us, not harsh, or bitter in his actions.
But "kind" also reminds me that we can grow to "have similar characteristics" of God (that is, we can grow to love), and like the German word kinder, we are his children. God thinks of us as part of himself, and in the same way one prefers himself to others, God treats us with indulgence.
Now, many people will look at common theology and say, "God isn't kind, he _______." And in many cases, however we fill-in that blank, God isn't kind. My proposal is that instead of rethinking God, we need to rethink our theology. If any of us believes that something about God's actions aren't kind, we need to go back to the Bible and study to learn what God's actions really are. Hint: If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father.
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