ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
March 25, 2022
On the BBC’s website, there are these short videos under the heading: Reel. I love watching them. They are 5-10 minutes long, but very informative on a range of topics. Recently, I was watching one entitled, “The Extraordinary Power of Kindness,” where the narrator spoke about the science of kindness. “There are patterns of activation in the brain which correspond to a boost of wellbeing. They reward pathways in the brain are activated when people are performing kind acts.” This sense of wellbeing is sometimes called the Helper’s High. There is something that happens within us when we lead with kindness. The old adage, “I got more out of it than the other person,” is an acknowledgment of the physiological impact kindness has on the one being kind. So, do we choose kindness because there is a benefit to us? Jesus tells a parable (Matthew 21) about a man who has two sons. He asked both sons to go work in the vineyard. The first one said, “No,” but eventually went and did the work. The other son said, “Yes,” but never went. The question is then asked, “Who did the will of the father?” That is a sort of roundabout way of saying kindness, no matter the motivation, is still kindness. It is still the will of God for our lives. At the same time, we are called to have within us the attitude of Jesus, and I’m feeling pretty confident in saying Jesus was living his life wholly for the sake of others. If there is a self-serving reason for your kindness, don’t beat yourself up. It’s still kindness! But maybe work on deflating the ego just a bit to make more room for the Spirit selflessness to more fully dwell.
Wherever my ego is pushing you out, Lord God, I pray for strength to push my ego aside just enough to make a bit more room for you. Amen.
