HANDING BACK THE IRON
The Japanese were brutal, in many cases, during the war, because they were in a framework of militarism. But in the framework of their own social customs they are a very gentle, kindly people. This demands kindness. One custom is striking: If a man’s house burns down, he will immediately go to his neighbor and present him with a present, saying: “I am so thankful that your house didn’t burn down.” Overdone? Perhaps. And yet that spirit of kindness pervading social customs does something to human relationships. I said to a missionary after traveling through over seventy cities in Japan, “Do you know I haven’t seen two Japanese fighting or quarreling?” He replied, “I’ve been here forty years, and I haven’t seen a Japanese quarreling in public. It isn’t done.” Kindness was built into a social system.
All my life I’ve been a traveler, by necessity. And many things happen on journeys, interesting things. But do you know the thing that stands out as an Everest among the peaks of happenings? I was riding on an elephant through the streets of Hyderabad, India. The mahaut was prodding the elephant’s neck with a sharp pronged iron to make it go faster. The iron fell out of its wooden handle onto the street. The elephant, without any apparent signal from the mahaut, turned around, walked back, picked up the iron in its trunk, and handed it back up to the mahaut and then resumed his journey. Handed back an instrument of torment to his tormentor! That was doing good to those who despitefully use you!
And Communists are supposed to be hard and impervious to mere kindness. But they are not. A Christian of Travancore, India, became a Communist, and for ten years he was a leadr in the underground movement. He was put under house arrest. A Syrian bishop and I went to see him. And unfortunately, instead of berating him for leaving Christianity, we treated him with respect, even kindness. Years later when he left Communism, he said that one of the things that made him come back was that visit. Would I visit one who had turned his back on Communism, and talk to him kindly? That simple kindness was one of the things that brought me back to Christ.”
O Father, help me to overlook no opportunity this day of being kind to everybody in every situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Kindliness pays, in little ways, for it always says what can’t be said.
The Japanese were brutal, in many cases, during the war, because they were in a framework of militarism. But in the framework of their own social customs they are a very gentle, kindly people. This demands kindness. One custom is striking: If a man’s house burns down, he will immediately go to his neighbor and present him with a present, saying: “I am so thankful that your house didn’t burn down.” Overdone? Perhaps. And yet that spirit of kindness pervading social customs does something to human relationships. I said to a missionary after traveling through over seventy cities in Japan, “Do you know I haven’t seen two Japanese fighting or quarreling?” He replied, “I’ve been here forty years, and I haven’t seen a Japanese quarreling in public. It isn’t done.” Kindness was built into a social system.
All my life I’ve been a traveler, by necessity. And many things happen on journeys, interesting things. But do you know the thing that stands out as an Everest among the peaks of happenings? I was riding on an elephant through the streets of Hyderabad, India. The mahaut was prodding the elephant’s neck with a sharp pronged iron to make it go faster. The iron fell out of its wooden handle onto the street. The elephant, without any apparent signal from the mahaut, turned around, walked back, picked up the iron in its trunk, and handed it back up to the mahaut and then resumed his journey. Handed back an instrument of torment to his tormentor! That was doing good to those who despitefully use you!
And Communists are supposed to be hard and impervious to mere kindness. But they are not. A Christian of Travancore, India, became a Communist, and for ten years he was a leadr in the underground movement. He was put under house arrest. A Syrian bishop and I went to see him. And unfortunately, instead of berating him for leaving Christianity, we treated him with respect, even kindness. Years later when he left Communism, he said that one of the things that made him come back was that visit. Would I visit one who had turned his back on Communism, and talk to him kindly? That simple kindness was one of the things that brought me back to Christ.”
O Father, help me to overlook no opportunity this day of being kind to everybody in every situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Kindliness pays, in little ways, for it always says what can’t be said.
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