#BeKind

The Omaha area schools have a common theme this Fall which is #BeKind.  They have made it a big deal and purpose to do so for the school year which we all hope resonates with every child and translates into more civility and less violence.

At a recent Citizen’s Committee meeting hosted by our local school the theme was noted and the superintendent invited comment – so I did.

I told of my father, just a few days age 18, in 1946, getting on a train for Marine boot camp when his mother said to him, “Leon, you be a good boy.”  That stuck with him and to this day motivates him.

While “be good” can engage others and certainly impacts others, it can also be fully true and not directly impact others.  That is, one can be a good student, be good to the cat, be good to one’s bike or phone, or be good to books.  So being good does not necessitate the involvement of others while kindness does require others.  Kindness sees, engages, and blesses others.  So… #BeKind!

A flaw of the #BeKind campaign might be its foundation – which is the critical mass for any initiative, campaign or movement.  Without a firm foundation, the house soon creeks, then cracks appear, then doors won’t shut, and eventually major repairs are necessary or the house is razed.  We toured the Biltmore House in NC this past July which was built over 100 years ago on 14 foot wide foundations.  They are putting an addition on Omaha’s Children’s Hospital and I understand they have drilled down 100′ to hit bedrock so to anchor the building and thus better insure longevity with most likely fewer repairs to the structure.  The foundation matters!

Now for #BeKind.  What is the foundation for such a thought?  Is it the goodness of man?  Is it the belief that kindness will return to the one being kind?  Is it for fear of being singled out as not being kind?  Is it for a “carrot”?  Is it to be accepted or on the bandwagon?  While all might be foundational, all are shallow.

The bedrock for a movement to catch and succeed is the truth that there are consequences – there are ramifications for not complying.  And such is rooted in the truth that there is a God Who is wheeling and dealing now and at the end of life’s journey waits for each soul and will then call a person’s thoughts, words and actions into account.

Our nation used to have that thought – God is and deals – as a rock for its actions which was furthered into the public’s conscience in the 50’s with the addition of “In God we trust” and “One nation under God.”

May #BeKind be helpful, but without God’s truth and the awareness of God’s involvement in the affairs of men, it stands only a limited chance of success.

Psalm 25:8, Good and upright is the Lord; 

Psalm 33:5, The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Psalm 34:8, Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Psalm 100:5, For the Lord is good; 

Ephesians 4:32, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another

Titus 3:4, But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,