The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness…. [Galatians 5]

Kindness… If you read through the list of the fruit of the Spirit, you may sprint right by that word. Or in hearing the love passage of 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient, love is kind…

Kindness… Don’t just think, “Be nice.” It is a more profound virtue and character attribute. The Greek word translated “kindness” from the New Testament is chrestotes. It is about the grace which pervades a person’s whole nature and demeanor. It is the opposite of being harsh or austere. It is focused not on the self (like “envy”) but on the other.

Our English word “kindness” comes from the root word “kin.” Thus, to be kind is to recognize that others are of like “kind.” Kindness essentially means treating others as though they are “kin,” made in the image of God as I am.

For the Christian person (and the Church), kindness is not optional. As a matter of fact, elsewhere in the New Testament the believing community is told to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” (Col. 3).

But kindness must also not be just an “option” for a civil society, one that seeks decency and justice for all. And I am afraid there is a shortage of such a virtue in our land. Kindness alone may not stop wars or societal violence. But I’m pretty sure kindness can be contagious. Meanness and cruelty are, too.

Here’s a thought: Why don’t we who name Jesus as our Lord and role model truly clothe ourselves with kindness. And maybe, just maybe, we can make this world a little less mean, sprinkled with the light of kindness.

Did you watch?

1. The Seahawks’ thrashing of the Patriots in the Super Bowl? What a defensive gem that game was!
   
   (I think I heard my friend from Boston pining for Tom Brady 😊 .)
   
   What was your favorite commercial? Sue liked this one.
   
   I kind of liked this “He Gets Us” ad which reminds us about kindness and that the Super Bowl (and life) is more than just commercialism and shiny new stuff. It’s about creating conversation around faith and society that lasts after the game ends.
   
2. The Winter Olympic Opening Ceremonies? No surprise that the Italians put on a ceremony with such artistic beauty and class. (And it took place in my second hometown of Milan.)
   
   Only the Italians can pull off the honoring of a fashion designer at a sporting event and have it not seem out of place.

Changing the narrative—religious fervor and bogus conspiracy theories

A few years ago, I was able to check India’s most famous landmark, the Taj Mahal, off my bucket list. These days the Taj is haunted by a conspiracy theory, one that I learned has been pushed for years by a self-serving flock of pseudo-historians and Hindu zealots. They conjure up their alternate “facts” and say that everything the public has been told about the Taj Mahal is wrong.

The made-up story goes like this: The Taj Mahal is not truly a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture, commissioned in the seventeenth century by Muslim ruler Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Instead, the alternate story says that its origins are all Hindu.

A new movie, The Taj Story, drones on without offering any concrete answers to the questions it raises. Indian movie critic Alaka Sahani wrote, “Instead, it [the film] merely stirs the pot, blending fact and fiction to serve an agenda far removed from historical inquiry.”

I bring this up to warn against religious extremism that predictably steals the narrative and rewrites the story to fit their quest for power and prominence. We see it on full display among the Hindus of India (I experience it each time I go there). As Americans, we need to be wary of similar things happening here as the heresy of Christian nationalism seeks to take hold and not only rewrite our history but distort the Gospel beyond recognition.

This and that
The TrumpRx prescription discount plan has been launched. Americans can now search for medications and compare prices. Consumers can buy the medications through pharmaceutical companies’ websites, with or without insurance. TrumpRx aims to reduce costs by featuring price comparisons, thus giving more choice to consumers. However, if generic versions of a drug are not featured on the site, or consumers fail to apply savings from their insurance, they could miss out on cheaper alternatives. Experts recommend checking insurance coverage to avoid overpaying for drugs. Check out the new government website.

Speaking of football, the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class has been selected. The group includes QB Drew Brees, WR Larry Fitzgerald, LB Luke Kuechly, K Adam Vinatieri, and RB Roger Craig. Surprisingly absent from the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees is former Browns and New England head coach Bill Belichick. What’s all that about? Talk about a weird snub! The guy only won six Super Bowls with the Patriots!

This very powerful Super Bowl ad against antisemitism!

Whoa! This guy has memorized 42 books of the Bible. And they are not just Obadiah and Jude 😊! Though not a Navigator, he ought to be in the Navigator’s Hall of Fame. Here is a reminder of the good and beneficial discipline of Scripture memory. Although, I was a little intimidated by the article’s title: “He’s Memorized 42 books of the Bible, and You Can, Too.”

This reminds me of words from the Book of James: The person who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Because it needs to be said
The video recently posted on Truth Social by our President was incredibly offensive and certainly beneath the Office. How sad it is anytime such denigration or racism is targeted against any member of our society—and certainly against a former President and his wife.

The Scriptures tell us that everyone is made in God’s image with inherent dignity and worth. Our common humanity is the very basis of the Gospel that Christians embody and teach. At Trinity Church in Mentor, we seek to be an instrument of God’s love, bringing dignity and flourishing to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, or caste. Our “vision” of van Gogh’s starry night is needed now more than ever so that Trinity may shine as a light in our divided and dark land.

Our Tuesday Afternoon prayer
“Dear heavenly Father, I praise you for being so kind, gentle, and patient with me. When I consider the difference between how much I know and how well I love, I am compelled to worship you for the truth and riches of the gospel. You don’t love me to the degree I love others; you love me to the degree you have hidden my life in Christ, which is completely. This good news is my peace, hope, and my joy.

“It’s also the basis, and rocket fuel, of my repentance. Even as your kindness continues to lead me to repentance, and to more of Jesus, so I repent, Father. I repent of nourishing lingering resentments. I repent of holding onto to a few hurts a little tighter than others. I repent of not being as quick to forgive, heal, and move on as you intend.

“I acknowledge what you already know to be true; I’ve enjoyed the role of victim a little more than I’ve relished the thought being a peacemaker. Avoidance has been easier than hoping. But Father, I now crave freedom more than I ‘need’ justice. The only justice I need has been meted out at the cross, where Jesus died for my sin, and you reconciled me to yourself.

“So, Father, as I reach for the garments of grace—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, I trust you for strength to extend to others the same loving-kindness you have poured on me richly in Jesus. Bring glory to yourself, and I bring my convicted and grateful heart to you. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ tender and loving name.”
[Pastor Scotty Smith, 2015]