Peace, Patience and on to Kindness. Kindness is an interesting word. It seems very mellow… almost bland. Kinda like when someone asks you do describe someone you love and the response is, “He or she is nice.” Nice or kind are words that can lack passion. Kindness seems so everyday…
Remember the popularity a few years ago of a billboard/bumper sticker blitz, Practice Random Acts of Kindness. It was a trendy statement – a faddish slogan. A well grossing film was produced based on this idea, Pay it Forward. It was a good movie. It made people think about kindness and motivated people to ‘practice random acts of kindness.’ For example, stop and help someone change a tire or pay for someone’s meal behind you in the drive through. Yet, it seemed to fade away after awhile – as what was ‘cool’ – cooled.
Just this past week, Deone and I experienced a random act of kindness… it was graduation weekend at CU and Friday night downtown restaurants were packed with families celebrating. We drove in on the street that bisects pearl street near the Brewing Market where there are about 6-10 spaces there, and right in front of us, a person pulled out and we pulled in. 5:00pm – I walk over to the kiosk to pay for parking and stuffed into the ticket dispenser was a ticket. I pulled it out and it had parking covered on it through 7:01pm. After 7:00pm its free. Our parking for our Friday date was covered! It made us smile and set our feet a dancing as we walked to dinner.
Random acts of kindness are beautiful expressions. They are very ‘nice.’ Yet, what God encourages us to do is to make kindness a lifestyle. And you know who needs our kindness more than anyone? Those who are closest to us. Those who know us best. Those who have the potential to annoy, aggravate, and disappoint us. To cultivate a life of kindness is to be like God. Title of Sunday’s message: Cultivating Kindness in the Midst of Self Sufficiency. (Hosea 11:3-4 and Luke 6:33-36) More to come on Sunday – see you soon!
Sunday is Graduation Sunday! We celebrate our graduates Damaris Huffaker, Tilden Huffaker, Brooks Knight, Jake Nienhouse, Chase Rietema, Elly Scheeres, Sam Cuthbertson and Sybil Danita Quaye. Time to celebrate!
(Recognition during worship service and celebration afterwards.)
Living life in Christ and the fruit of the Holy Spirit,
Pastor Mark
