Monday, April 15, 2013

Acting Kindly


“Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV)

Walking up the 10th fairway at Augusta in yesterday’s Masters’ playoff, Angel Cabrera turned around and gave a thumbs up to his competitor, Adam Scott.  Scott returned the gesture.  Both had hit excellent shots to the green and both had a good chance at the coveted green jacket.  The pressure must have been immense, which makes Cabrera’s gesture that much more significant.  In the competitive world of golf, where steely concentration is needed to make pressure shots, Cabrera still took a moment to acknowledge Scott’s great effort with an encouraging gesture.  
Kind words and gestures are too often in short supply in our world.  Every day, the news media, sports media, and social media are filled with harsh words.  And as we fill our lives with these, then it is a natural result that the effects can bleed into our own lives as well.  There can be coarseness to our words and tone that we don’t even realize.  I just read a Facebook post from a believer who commented on the story of a man committing suicide at the NRA NASCAR race in Texas.  “Texas. Nascar. NRA. I might just shoot myself too!” I think it was intended to be funny, but I know there is nothing amusing about it to the man’s family or anyone who witnessed this tragedy.  And there is definitely nothing funny about suicide, regardless of one’s political beliefs.  

Kindness is part of the character of God (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 2:6-7) so it makes sense that we should seek to emulate it.  But like so many things of God, the world seeks to take us in the opposite direction. Coarseness instead of gentleness; meanness instead of kindness. 

Today, consider how you can give a kind word or gesture to someone. There are a lot of people out there who are struggling with the stresses of life.  An act of kindness can go a long way to cheer them up. 

© Jim Musser 2013

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