Guest pastor: It never hurts to be kind

Just this past week I had to say goodbye to our dog, Two Scoops. We have had her since she was a puppy and have enjoyed her as part of our family for the past nine years. She developed diabetes that we just could not get under control, no matter how hard we tried. We loved that dog so much. It was devastating.

I can’t say enough about the staff at MedVet. They clearly cared about us and they cared about our dog. A few vet techs took our kids into a different room and colored with them and made balloon animals out of their latex gloves. We now have blown up latex gloves taped up all over our house. The vet treated us with respect, listened and offered condolences that did not seem like a routine script she follows.

The next morning was Sunday, so on the way into church I stopped at River Road for a large frozen River Road Mocha. I guess as a small way to cope. I saw a friend who asked me how I was and I told her what had happened to Two Scoops. She apologized and paid for my drink. Then it was off to church for Veteran’s Day and a soup contest.

That whole day I was greeted by people who took notice of my sadness or heard my story and responded with care and compassion. These people I interacted with were not all friends or church goers. I even had a person I passed on the street notice my sadness and ask if they could help. I really have to say that the responses of others helped me through a tough time for me. No one did anything over the top, but all of their care, patience, and acts of kindness made a terrible day a lot easier to get through.

Sometimes life can be very hard. It would be a lot easier if the people around us didn’t add to it by being rude or short tempered. I wonder how many times I have made someone’s life harder just by having no patience or by letting my frustrations out on strangers.  John 3:34 & 35 says this: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Our words and actions can be the final straw that takes someone who is having a rough time and knocks them down. Yet Jesus tells us that our words and actions can be even more powerful when they are positive. A friendly stranger, a listening friend, a compassionate neighbor can pick that person up off the ground and reveal to them the very love of God.

The Rev. Steven Brand is pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Newark