GOD IS KIND, BUT...

In the beginning, the elohim created skies and earth.

Welcome back. Let's think about God as kind.

This will be my last post about, “Love is kind.”

 I have no illusions about the world. Anyone who knows anything about human history knows what wretched murderers human beings are. Pick any age when humans lived, and we find there is no time in this country, or any country, where people were living as if God’s kingdom on earth is coming.

In most recent history, Israel is blowing up U.N. safe havens, Palestinians are sending rockets into cities, and Syria, having murdered thousands of its citizens, continues to murder more.

Children, right now, are fleeing their countries for fear of being murdered.  They escape into a country whose citizens’ faces are contorted with hate, whose voices scream hate, and whose hearts reveal to the world such vile hatred that is ever nigh and ever possible in our nation.

With all of this as we live now, on this day, we cannot have any illusions about kindness.

So why?  Why even think that God is love; love is kind; therefore, God is kind?

The reason is simple. The kingdom of God is coming as long as we Christians bring it to the world. I do not have to love or believe in love, but I do. It makes sense to me.

It makes sense to me that someone, even if I am the only one in the world, someone must love. When there are people seeking refuge, the reality of this world should always be that Christians are that one group of people they need never fear.

Indeed, Christians are that one group of people who love them more than they love themselves, more than they love God, more than their country loves them, and always more than hate filled humanity loathes them.

Love is no passion. It is no feeling. It is a discipline. It is a choice. We choose each and every time to forgive, to love.

We love each and every time:  seventy-seven times or four hundred ninety times.

In our lives the kind deed count begins and ends with that grace of our God of love which compels us to love as God loves. Love happens when we refuse to hate by the grace of our God of love that permeates within us from every atom of our being as we live in the ground of all being.

Whether we like it or not, wish it or not, regret it or not, we must refuse to hate or harm our fellow humanity.

Kindness is slower than bullets. Kind words penetrate faster and lodge deeper than invectives.

                               

Yesterday, during a conference for new teachers, a presenter asked if there were any Christians in the room. Just about everybody raised their hand, including myself. Then, she asked if there were any Muslims. Two people raised their hands:  one woman, wearing a hijab, and I.

When I went to Central Office today to receive my ID badge, I stood in line for a few minutes. Suddenly, there she was standing behind me, her countenance radiating such kindness and sweetness within her lovely hijab.

I started a conversation with her, small talk for the most part, but she kept the conversation going. She was delightful.

I did not ask her about her faith or try to share my faith, but I did tell her that I had raised my hand with her yesterday. She was surprised. When she asked why, I said, that I was an ordained Southern Baptist minister who numbered himself among all peoples of faith.

The Greek word that’s translated “kind” is chresteuomai. It means “beneficial,” “gentle,” and “being of service to others.”  The Latin Vulgate translated the word into “benigna,” from which we get our word “benign.” 

Someone needs to show people that they may know us by our love. I will do it by God even if it kills me.

Why?  The answer is simple:  we better start showing our faith or it will not last another millennium. It may not last another century.

And that would be a tragedy for on paper and in a real life, such as we’ve seen in Christ, kindness is beautiful.

So, my brothers and sisters, emulate our God of love. Be kind. If you screw it up. Don’t despair. Just do better as many next times as you can.

Blessings…