When my grandchildren are teasing and occasionally getting ready to pound each other, my daughter looks them in the eye and, in a calm but firm voice, says "Love and kindness. Love and kindness."I've been thinking about this phrase since last night when the George Zimmerman verdict was read. So far the vast majority of folks, on both sides of the issue, have reacted with love and kindness.
Part of the reason for this is that the religious community, from the get go, in and around Sanford, Florida worked hard to move forward with this concept. The first night after the shooting of Travon Martin my friend (and Power Ranger,) a sweet but strong woman close to my age, drove, by herself, to Sanford to be part of a prayer vigil.
Well, yes, she did wear her husband's hoodie - but her heart was pure and she was praying for love and kindness.
This morning my minister, Bob, talked about how we can help all involved move forward - with sensitivity, love and kindness.
But Bob didn't preach. In the pulpit was our young (19 year old) summer intern. She's a student at Florida Southern College and feels a call to ministry. What a thrill and a privilege it must have been for her to stand in the pulpit of this great church and tell us the story of the Lost Sheep. This was after we'd seen a hilarious skit with two guys masquerading as the good kind of sheep who were really p.o.ed at the shepherd because he snubbed them and went out looking for the lost one.
After the sermon I learned that our preacher for the day (the 19 year old female collage student) had been accosted between services by a gentleman who tried to set her straight that she was probably bound for hell because women are not called to ministry!!
How did she react to this? With love and kindness. With many of the things that come our way, it takes tremendous strength and courage to react - with love and kindness.
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