Show Some Love

At the end of World War I, Herbert Hoover, who would later become the President of the United States, led the allied relief efforts in Europe. The efforts of these valiant soldiers kept thousands from starvation and death and a new word entered the Finnish language. They literally made a verb out of Herbert Hoover’s last name. In Finland to Hoover means to be kind, generous or benevolent.

Question….if they made a verb out of your last name, what would it’s definition be? Based on your behavior and the philosophy of life that governs your actions, what best describes what your life stands for and what the residue of your existence will be?

Trust me when I tell you that no matter what you accomplish or achieve, your life will be summarized by those who knew you in one sentence…PICK IT NOW.

The Bible says that the only thing that a person can do that has the power to change anything on an eternal level is LOVE. Love is a deep root that produces the fragrant fruit of kindness. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul is listing and describing the transformational power of love and in his defining chapter simply says that, “Love is patient and KIND.”

Kindness is one of the first fruits of true love. The German philosopher Nietzsche hated Christianity for encouraging kindness. He accused Christian love of draining strong people by driving them to waste their energies on lepers, cripples and oppressed people. His doctrine of survival of the fittest was an off shoot of Darwinism that later spawned such movements as Nazism and was the creed of a young officer named Adolph Hitler.

Jesus was a revolutionary, there is no disputing it. He came to rule and reign not as any before Him or after Him. His operational strategy of power and strength had nothing to do with military might or an overwhelming show of brute force. His plan to infiltrate and take over the world was not led by bullets, brawn or bayonets. His weapon of choice was Grace, fueled only by the leading edge of Love. And against all odds, beliefs and voices of His enemies…..LOVE WINS. And kindness is the offspring of love.

If we are going to be able to finish what Jesus started it means we have to cross over and make the transition from SELFISH love to SELFLESS love. We often here people use the phrase random acts of kindness. Now, I know what they mean but the truth is there is no such thing. Kindness is not random at all, it is highly and incredibly intentional. Kindness happens on purpose. It is motivated by the needs of others and the desire to glorify God in this earth and through our lives.

Trust me, you are not born into this world with kindness, if you don’t believe me just go to a nursery and watch those little bundles of joy. I’ve seen a cute, seemingly harmless little tyke pounce on a fellow fledgling like an African lion on a ring tailed gazelle, all because he wanted to experience the joy of his fellow nursery goers toy for a moment. The rage in his little face is a disturbing image I have often tried to forget.

My point is, kindness is something that must be cultivated and developed, if you wait for it to merely emerge, it won’t. Have you ever done something really nice for someone that you really didn’t know and seen the look on their face? It’s priceless and do you know why they are overwhelmed and surprised? Because it’s not normal. It’s not what they are used to.

This is why if we are serious about making a difference, if we truly believe that Jesus started something that is true and authentic and worthy of being continued, then becoming people of love and kindness is an endeavor worth pursuing. It was our savior’s weapon of choice and if we are His disciples, it must be ours as well.

I love the message translation of Acts 20:35. It says, “True happiness is found in the giving, not in the getting.”

Years ago a guy named Rod Sterling created a television show called The Twilight Zone. One episode was about a gambler who died and was immediately transported to a room with gambling tables. It was amazing, every time he rolled the dice, he won. Every hand of cards was a winning hand. He thought he was in heaven until finally it dawned on him he was alone and what he thought at first was heaven turned out to be hell. Because he realized though he had everything any gambler could want, he had no one to share it with.

The moral was clear, the life that only gathers is no life at all. It is only in the giving, only in the sharing and only through love and kindness that we discover the true essence of life.

Opportunities abound to live this way if only we will look. There is a place below to leave a comment. I encourage you to take a few seconds and tell me and the others who read this weekly blog what you think.

Until next week... SHOW SOME LOVE.

All for Christ,
J. Mark