On the Kindness of Strangers

With all the crazy going on in the world, it's easy to see the darkness and evil looming. But when you look a little closer, there is an amazing thing happening in our communities.

I think I might call it a Culture of Kindness. There is this reach for being better humans. A brainwashing of niceness you might say. You can find it in the anti-bullying ads and in the rules at elementary schools. You can find it in television ads of the big box stores, advertising how they are giving back to schools. Even our favorite musicians are getting in on the act. Like we needed another reason to love Tim McGraw? I mean really. Giving away homes to military vets in those tight T-shirts he wears. . .HOW KIND!

This kindness phenomenon struck me the other day when I took my daughter to the doctor for her annual physical. We sleepily waited for about half an hour to see the doctor on a Saturday morning. Who schedules Dr. appointments at 8:30 am on a Saturday anyway?

This mother sucker, that's who. 

And if you know me at all, you know I hate getting up early for anything on the weekends. BUT, in order to see this particular doctor, I would drive an hour or more at any time of the day. Here's why:

Dr. Deluca enters and in her typical way greets my daughter with energetic cheerfulness. (She is a morning person by nature and a mother of 3, and kind of my hero). She proceeds to exclaim that Ali is just ADORABLE. Then she examines and asks my 10-year-old the typical physical questions. How do you sleep, eat, poop? Do you wear your seat-belt and bicycle helmet, etc. . . But then she asks about her friends at school and if she is mostly happy or mostly sad. And when Alexandra answers with 100,000 words and says she has really good friends but describes this one "friend" who drives her crazy, the good doctor LISTENS. And she responds, "Well, we don't have to like everyone, but you do always have to be kind to them, right?"

Then. This doctor, who has only seen my daughter a handful of times, anoints my child - not literally with oil or anything, but she speaks words into her life. She tells her that she sees her being a leader, a role-model. At which Ali looks at her quite dubiously. Can you hear the brainwashing? This woman, basically little more than a stranger to my child, has in a small amount of time, made a little girl feel good about herself, reaffirmed the ideals I teach my children about kindness, and encouraged her be a role model.

I see this Culture of Kindness more and more in this messed up sinful world, and it makes me so happy. When we are kind to strangers, we are doing God's work. Plain and simple. You want to know how to be happy? Be kind to strangers. Want to know how to be a "good" Christian? Be kind to strangers. Wanna go to heaven? BE KIND TO STRANGERS.

This morning I read in Matthew that exact admonition from Christ himself.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me." -  Matthew 25:34-36