It is
included in one of Paul’s so-called “virtue lists” (2 Corinthians 6:6). It is
the way God will give grace when are gathered to him in his eternal kingdom
(Ephesians 2:7). It is fruit produced in us when the Holy Spirit fills us,
works in our lives, and through our lives (Galatians 5:22).
Kindness.
The United States of America desperately needs a tsunami of kindness to overwhelm
us.
The
United States is beginning a presidential election year. Our politics have
always been contentious, but the divisions of the past decade rival any from the
most bellicose times in our nation’s history. Many of your neighbors are
apolitical, but those who have political feelings hold them stridently and in
the extreme. And if you are among the masses who would rather avoid politics,
you will inevitably be pushed into political conversations by your aggressively
partisan neighbors. It’s never a nuanced discussion respecting those who hold
different perspectives. It’s always a vicious fight.
What
can followers of Jesus bring to these fractious times? Kindness.
In
2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “We have commended ourselves … by kindness.” In
other words, for Paul and his missionary colleagues, kindness is a job requirement.
He can’t adequately travel and represent Christ without it. In Ephesians, we
read that God has “raised us up with [Christ] and seated us with him in the
heavenly places …, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable
riches of his grace in kindness. The heavenly eternity we long for is
defined by kindness and unintelligible without it. “The fruit of the Spirit is …
kindness” (Galatians 5:22).
Some
Christians are determined to be bold in their witness. I agree. We are called by
God to courageously testify that Jesus is Lord. We are called to this
proclamation no matter how much it costs us. However, boldness cannot be
claimed as the forfeiture of kindness. In Christ, we can be both: bold and kind.
We must be. To make a difference in a militantly polarized day, we have to
insist that to follow Christ is to commit to kindness.
I’m
not recommending you make resolutions as we step into 2024. Neither am I
recommending against resolutions. I have my own list of resolutions I hope will
make me a more likable, helpful person. If the practice of keeping New Year’s resolutions
helps you recenter and refocus your life, go for it! Just be sure and keep the
resolutions you make!
What I as
a pastor, charged with guiding souls in the way of Christ, do commend is the
pursuit of kindness; all year! When the fighting around you gets loud and ugly,
change the temperature by being an agent of kindness. Disorient your neighbors by
meeting their intensity with your gentles, inviting spirit. Make it your 2024 goal
to pursue kindness in your relationships, in the world around you, and in your
own heart.
