JUNE 18, 2010      VOLUME 39         ISSUE 23

                        

 

 

 

"A Scout Is Kind"

       

 

 

            

                             kind: \'kīnd\ adj: - gentle and considerate; goodhearted.
 
                           "A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind,
                            Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.
                                                                                                               The Scout Law
 
                           "Love is patient; love is kind..."  - I Cor. 13:4, NRSV
 
                        "...and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one
                            another, as God in Christ has forgiven you."  - Eph. 4:32, NRSV
 
I went last night with the youth group to see the movie "The Karate Kid" starring Jaden Smith (Will Smith's 12-year-old son) and Jackie Chan.  The young boy who plays the part of the karate kid - "Dre Parker" - has just moved to China with his mother who has been transferred there because of her job.  The cinematography alone is worth the price of the movie ticket.  There are scenes of the Great Wall of China and other magnificent and picturesque images of the unique landscape, architecture, and people of that ancient land.  (I found myself wanting to go see it all firsthand.)
 
Early on in the movie, the young 12-year-old boy is, as you might expect, in tears because he hates living in a culture so drastically different from his own.  With only one friend-two,  actually-he finds himself falling for a strikingly beautiful young Chinese girl who is a very accomplished violinist.  She befriends him, but the only problem is that the other young Chinese boys don't like Dre, don't like his differentness, don't like his moving in on one of their girls.
 
After he is bullied by one of the local boys, he finds that the only way to survive is to seek the help of Mr. Han, the maintenance man in their apartment complex.  Mr. Han is a quiet, gentle man, soft-spoken and tender-hearted, but tough as nails.  Together they form a bond as the wise sage "adopts" the young boy and begins to teach him the art of Kung Fu.
 
One day, the young boy and Mr. Han enter the martial arts studio of the enemy, where the bully's instructor is teaching his class.  The young boy discovers that the bully's teacher is mean and rough, harsh and brutal. 
 
But not Mr. Han.  He is wise, yes.  A master of Kung Fu, yes.  A terrific "fighter," yes.  But not mean and cruel.  Not hateful and vengeful.  In a word, Mr. Han is kind.
 
You'll have to see the movie for yourself to know how it all unfolds.  But this one thing's for sure: whether it's a Hollywood movie, a fiction bestseller, or the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, kindness is the Master's way.
 
I'll see you at the "kindness" place this Sunday,
 
 
Flint