We drove west 288 miles to see this.  If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. I should have known something was up when we walked past this sign:

It was a baseball game with eleven-year-old boys; not in the playoffs, just a regular season game. But the contrast in coaching was like a standoff between a pit bull and a poodle. You’d have thought this was the World Series! The coaches of the home team were high-strung, loud and obnoxious, yelling, belittling and shaming every boy on their team for any mishap with the ball. The typical comment went something like this: “&*%$#&@$–what are you thinking?!!” and “Come On!!!” yelled in the meanest tone of voice. And the parents in the stands soon began to follow suit.

In sharp contrast, the coaches for the visiting team led out in strength, encouraging, teaching, advising, sensitive, patient and uplifting. I heard them speak things like, “OK, Buddy, when he hits that ball, you run to second!”. And when a mistake was made, “That’s OK, Bud, you’re good!” “You’re ready now!”

What was most interesting was the way these methods of coaching affected the players. Those who were belittled became more dejected as the game went on. Their little shoulders literally sank lower with every criticism. I soon noticed that the boys began to take on the same attitude as the coach. When a mistake was made, their tempers would flair, causing them to throw equipment and make even more mistakes as the game continued. Conversely, the boys led by the kind coach would display disappointment with mistakes but immediately imitate their coaches, moving into a team mode of encouraging one another and building each other up.

Guess which team won the game: yep, the guys with the kind coaches. Even with mistakes, the visitors pulled together as a team and run-ruled the home team 12-1.

Usually, we’re happy when the team we’re rooting for wins–and I was happy for the win–but my celebration was clouded with a certain amount of pity for the nine boys on the losing team, as post-game, they were being cut down further by their relentlessly unkind coaches.

I couldn’t watch that happen. I turned my back to the field and distracted myself by striking up a conversation with a mom of one of the boys. While we were talking, she uttered an expression of surprise. When I turned my eyes back to the field, I was shocked, while at the same time being so pleased with what I saw. Having played the last game of the day, the losing coaches are responsible to cover the field with tarps to protect from the weather. The mean losing coaches were doing their job, but they were not alone. Right out there working beside them were those two kind winning coaches pitching in to get the fields covered–not their job…no obligation to help…just being kind and considerate…even after all the unkind words had flown across the field for the past hour. I’ll never forget that poignant picture of undeserved favor.

My mind immediately jumped to a picture of God as described in Romans 2:4, reminding us it’s “the kindness of God that leads us to repentance”. His kindness overflows in love as He graciously takes us to Himself, coaching us through our mistakes, encouraging us to move toward Him. The Passion Translation words it, “…all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance…”

Leading up to Easter, I encourage you to set aside some time to consider God’s extravagant kindness.

Here’s how that played out for me this morning. I sat in silence on my back porch and asked the Lord to show me ways He expresses kindness. Quickly, my attention was consumed with Creation and how plant life, animal life, and human life intersect, benefitting each other, and supporting each other. I was drawn to worship as he reminded me of the atmosphere alone that gives life constantly and consistently. I felt His kindness in nature. Immediately on the heels of creation, He began reminding me of His kind love for every human being that He has created in the very image of Himself. I read in 2 Peter 3 about how His patience plays into His kindness. His greatest wish is for every person on earth to live eternally with Him, but the choice belongs to the person. How very kind of Him to make His love collective, for all people of all time.

As I observed God’s collective love, our time together turned very personal very quickly. When I lay out my true self before Him, His kindness for me individually is astounding. I can in no way compare to Him, and yet He considers me one of His own. How very kind of Him to cover me in His great love, overwhelming my humanity, transforming me into the image of Jesus. If you know God, you know the astonishment of realizing He truly loves you and pursues a deep-loving, ongoing friendship with you.

Taking the kindness of God personally cannot help but evoke a response. Obviously, the realization leads us to worship Him as Father, Creator, Savior, Shepherd, King, and so much more. Worship is the easy part, like so many have illustrated our relationship with God forming a vertical line from our hearts to His. It’s easy to look up, visualize Him looking down in love toward us, receive His love, then reciprocate our love back toward Him…love breeds love.

But there’s more to loving God than expressing our love to Him. In His own words, we express our love for Him by the way we love other people–those others He created in his own image. The Bible repeatedly teaches us to love other people, but 1 John 3 paints a vivid picture of what it looks like to love God vertically and horizontally. We love God horizontally by loving other people He’s created in His image.

Doesn’t it make sense, that if God uses kindness to draw us to Himself, kindness would be an effective tool for us to pick up and use in our relationships?  Scripture encourages us to “Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters.” (Ephesians 5:1, TPT)  By His transforming work in us, His children, and through the instruction of scripture, God continues to equip us for imitating Him in ways that bring life into every situation and intrigue people to look for Him.

The Easter season is a time when many people are more sensitive to spiritual thinking. Knowing God and being empowered by His love, this next week will be filled with opportunities for us to put on display the extravagant love of God. For many reasons, many people have made the decision not to look for God in a church. Besides, most churches only meet on Sunday or an occasional Saturday night at this time of the year.

But you, Child of God, are out among people on all the days of the week. Because you, Child of God, embody the love of Jesus, the person who will not go to church is not devoid of the opportunity to experience the kindness of God. When someone bumps into you, Child-of-God-full-of-the-love-of-Jesus, what spills out onto them?

For that one who will not enter a church, let’s extend the kindness of God outside of the church. Let’s exhibit patience while we’re waiting in the long line behind the difficult customer. Let’s smile at the person who clearly lives a different lifestyle from ours. Let’s respond with kind words especially when we’ve experienced a lack of kindness.

Kindness sometimes stops people in their tracks. Kindness is unexpected and certainly unusual. Kindness breaks down barriers that have been built in self-defense. Kindness makes people wonder why, and sometimes they’ll inquire about the difference. Kindness can open the door to connection, which can then lead to conversations about the kindness of God that inspires repentance. As a reminder, “…all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance…”

Like in the picture at the top of this post, the player is willing to listen and apt to follow, because the kind coach has earned the right to advise and lead and direct. Have you seen your kindness melt a heart?

Do you want to change your world? Practice kindness first toward the people you live with, inside your own home. Family is a fertile training ground for planting seeds of kindness that produce fruit in the world. Model kindness to your spouse, your children, your roommate. When you’ve practiced at home, it comes more easily in public.

What will you do to wrap your arms around the power of kindness?

Come back during the week and post in the comments ways you see God working in response to kindness. I can’t wait to hear from you!

[Pro Parenting Tip: this is the perfect opportunity to teach your children Ephesians 4:32. Revise this post to their age level, relate it to Easter, God’s kind love for them, their privilege of showing kindness to others. If you want age-appropriate ideas, PM me or post in the Comments Section below.]