Kindness Follow Up

I know I’ve been on a kick lately about “kindness” at Christmas. Our family has been blessed by all sorts of kindness over the years, so I don’t want to come off too cynical. It’s not really the kindness that bothers me, it’s the apparent motive. I firmly believe that true kindness comes from a transformed heart and that can only happen once the Spirit of God is moving and working in us – transforming us with His kindness, His compassion and His love.

Here is an illustration. Suppose I randomly pick ten guys off the street – from graduate PHD students to blue collar labor. Every morning I gather them together, give them each some Nerf footballs and tell them they each need to throw the ball through a hoop 50 times before we move on to anything else. After a week of this, I realize that some are doing OK, most are still struggling. To help out, I take away the Nerf balls and invest in NFL regulation pig skins. After another week, a few of them just aren’t going to make it – they usually give up after struggling to get just 10 “completions.” A few of the others are starting to excel, but most still falter. As a next step, I hire John Elway and Troy Aikman to work with them on arm strength and throwing technique. At the end of the week, there are only two men standing. One shows up early and throws extra passes, while the other still needs a wake-up call.

What’s the difference in the two? One obviously has a passion for throwing footballs – he is doing it from the heart - and the other is simply going through the motions. No matter what rules were established, equipment purchased or training given, it all boiled down to what was going on in the hearts of the players.

So I shouldn’t be surprised when the world isn’t kind or when they turn their noses up at the “good” things the church often pressures them to do. To expect anything different would be asking for results where the passion does not – even cannot - exist.

While there is only so much that can be done to nurture a passion for football, there is a way for passion to be re-built into the hearts of people, only it’s not our job to do it! Christ came to restore a relationship that allows the Spirit to dwell in us. Transformation from self-centered, hard-hearted men and women to passionate, loving believers is His specialty.

Truth be told, as Christians we aren’t simply kind at Christmas – we are kind because of Christmas.

Have a merry Christmas and a “kind” new year.

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:16