It’s time for a little kindness in our world

By Pastor John Vaughn, Cross Roads Baptist Church In December 1983, I graduated from New Orleans Baptist Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.  Just before graduation, a ring salesman was on campus, so I paid a small down payment on a ring to commemorate my studies at New Orleans Seminary.  The ring would be sent to me COD with the balance of $140.00 due.   Around the face of the ring it says, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and in the middle there is a depiction of the Ten Commandments.  The ring has been an interesting conversation starter.  When we served as missionaries in Brazil, people would see it and ask what it meant.  Or they would recognize the Ten Commandment tablets and ask about it.  So I was able to talk with those folks about my ring and God’s Word and how it applies to our lives.  One day I even had someone ask me if I was the pastor at the Baptist church.  I said “Yes, I was one of them.  But how did you know about that?”  He said he had heard about my ring!  So the ring led to a number of conversations about God’s Word and the Gospel.   But, I almost didn’t have the ring to wear.  I was the Pastor of a Church in Lauderdale County when I graduated and the mail carrier at the time was a member of the Church where I was Pastor.  One day she stopped and came to the door to tell me that I had a COD package and would have to pay $140.00 to get it from the post office.  We had just moved to that church and were getting settled in there.  We had two small children, and we had to buy some furniture and things for the house.  We just didn’t have $140.00 to pay at that time.   The next day, I asked her if I could just let the ring go back.  She said that if I didn’t pay the COD, they would have to return it.  So I told her to let it go back, because we just didn’t have the money right then to pay for it.  She said that would be fine and she’d send it back.   That night, she and her husband came to the parsonage.  And they handed me the package with my ring in it.  I told them I couldn’t accept it. But they insisted that I take it.  So I promised to pay them back when I could and they said they wouldn’t take any payment, because they wanted to do that for me.  So I’ve been wearing the ring for almost 38 years due to their kindness toward me.   You know, there are a lot of bad things happening in the world and in our nation right now.  There just doesn’t seem to be much kindness being demonstrated.  On the contrary, there is a lot of meanness being displayed by a lot of people.   But as God’s children, we are to be different.  The Lord gives us some specific instructions through the writings of the Apostle Paul.  In Ephesians 4:31-32 he says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” And I Thessalonians 5:15 tells us, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to be kind and do what is good for each other (in the faith) and for everyone else.” It’s time for a little kindness in our world.  You may not be able to buy a ring for someone, but if you are alert, you’ll recognize opportunities that God will give you to show kindness.  It can start with us.  It must start with each one of us.  Be sure to take your family to church on Sunday, (or watch a service together at home!)   See: Coronavirus Christianity