If you simply read the newspaper and watch the news, you, like me, are probably convinced that this world is not a safe place and people are evil. According to what we hear, it seems most people don’t care about others and kindness hardly exists any more. Look at a few of these headliners:
- Luggage explodes in bus, killing 26
- Date-rape drug case results in guilty plea.
- Three teens killed in drive-by shooting.
- 2 year old toddler abducted by estranged father
Whether you believe people are basically good or basically evil, you have to agree with one thing: God did not intend our world to be the way it is. Titus 2:4-5; Then (the older women) can train the younger women. . . to be kind.
The apostle Paul encouraged women to learn kindness – but many factors hinder kindness in our society. I believe the top 4 reasons to be violence, selfishness, busyness and our own hearts.
My husband and I were on vacation last week and upon returning to work Monday, I learned of a very sad, but somehow inspiring story. Two doors down from my place of employment, a crossing guard was crossing an elementary age boy when she saw a dump truck coming toward them. In a moment of total un-selfishness, she placed herself between him and the oncoming truck, seeking to protect him from harm. I would totally understand this if it had been his mother, or even his sister. But this woman probably didn’t even know his name. Unfortunately, because of this unselfish act, she paid the ultimate price—her own life. There is not a greater sacrifice–that a man lay down his life for someone else. This story tells me that there are still a few individuals in this world who think of others before themselves. As Christians, isn’t this what we are supposed to do?
Violence is all around us today, not just in the seedy parts of town anymore. We live in a culture of violence and are bombarded by cruel and agressive attitudes and actions in our music, video games, movies, on the internet, and on television. Have we become desensitized? In 1998, the average American consumed 11.8 hours of media daily. By the age of eighteen, the average American child sees 200,000 violent acts on television; 16,000 of them are murders! Violent images penetrating our minds can desensitize us to real-life brutality and numb us to people and their needs. We’ve also become a very selfish people. Look at the titles of some of our current and very popular magazines; Me, Self and All About You! Some of our most popular slogans focus on us and not on others. Even the busyness of our daily lives can lead us to ignore and maybe not even recognize needs of others. With the introduction of the Internet, we can buy groceries, pay bills, keep in touch with family and friends (maybe even have your own blog – lol), or send e-cards. While this really is a help to us, does it take us further and further away from relationships and one on one mentoring, which may cause us to lose the ability to connect with others face to face? Is there such a thing as a detached, impersonal and indifferent “Christian”?
“In a fast-food culture”, a wise Benedictine monk observed, “you have to remind yourself that some things cannot be done quickly.” Simply put—–KINDNESS TAKES TIME! In Luke 16:19-25, the Bible talks of someone who was insensitive and cold hearted, the rich man who had it all – fine clothes and luxury. A beggar named Lazarus, starving and covered in sores, was lying by the rich man’s gate. All Lazarus wanted from the rich man was the food or crumbs that fell from his table. But the rich man chose to ignore Lazarus and his needs. Later, both men died. The rich man, now in hell, looked up and saw Lazarus by Abraham’s side in heaven and begged Lazarus to have mercy on him and dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25) The rich man’s heart was not moved with pity, even though he could see and hear the beggar who was at his gate every day. How many times do we move past people and situations that are crying out for our attention and help. The perfect opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ fly past us, and once they are gone, we can never have them back. When Jesus encountered insensitivity to people’s needs, he became angry! It is not only my heart’s cry that I become more like Christ, but that I never anger Christ with selfishness and personal insensitivity.
