A Great Superlative
By: Jack Wyman
We were looking forward to it. It would be fun.
We’d had it on the schedule for some time. Beth would say to me, “Now don’t forget.”
The month of May is celebrated for three things: weddings, graduations, and Memorial Day.
On this special day, we headed for a small town named Tom Bean, near Sherman, Texas, and close to the Oklahoma border. It is home to 930 souls. Including our youngest daughter Vanessa, her husband Gil, and their two daughters, Ella and Adelyne.
Ella, our beautiful, willowy, and soft-spoken 11-year-old granddaughter, was graduating from elementary school. Like all grandparents, we approached this milestone liberated from responsibility, excited with anticipation, and loving the moment.
Wearing a pretty black dress, her long dark hair pulled back in a bun, Ella was happy and smiling. She was one of about 35 graduates receiving their diploma in the school gymnasium.
The principal introduced three teachers who would take turns calling the names of the students. Before the diplomas were presented the teachers gave out special superlative awards.
In the course of these presentations, we were introduced to the students most likely to change the world, write a novel, become an actress, start a business, and be elected President. We met the Most Creative, Most Ambitious, Most Artistic, Most Athletic, Most Outspoken, Most Resilient, and Most Likely to Succeed at just about anything, among others.
I watched Ella from across the aisle. Every time a student was given an award, she would light up and vigorously applaud. As more students received their commendations, her enthusiasm for their success was undiminished.
I began to wonder when it would be Ella’s turn to be recognized. Surely she would be. I knew she was quiet, serious, not one to push herself forward in a crowd. I began to think how sad it would be for her to be overlooked. I knew that wouldn’t happen, but the thought crossed my mind and pricked my heart.
With only a few students left without awards, the teacher said, “This one was obvious.” Our sweet Ella, cheering on others, was finally recognized.
The Most Kindhearted.
It was a superlative worth having. It was not a recognition of achievement as much as a commentary on the soul. Not a prediction of success as much as a salute to character. This was not about doing something. It was about being something.
I was proud of Ella—we all were. We agreed it was an appropriate award. Watching her that day, it occurred to me that she seemed to have no concern for her own recognition but focused her energy and attention on rejoicing with her classmates. Was this the innocent naivete of youth or the sign of future virtue? A phase of childhood or a quality of life?
Wouldn’t it be great if Ella grew up to live a life of kindness? I hope and pray she does. Whatever else she and her fellow students become and achieve, I wish for them a strength of character that touches the lives of others and leaves a legacy to be modeled. This should be a divine wish for us all.
“No one knows, and the world must wait and see; for every man in an honored place is a boy that used to be.”
Kindness. It comes from the heart and goes to the heart. In the midst of a hurried, self-absorbed, ambitious, and competitive world, kindness seems almost quaint. It’s good for us to remember that in these turbulent, angry, and divisive times, kindness has not grown out of fashion with God.
The apostle Paul told the Galatians that from the power of the Holy Spirit who lived within them would come the virtues that must mark their lives and their relationships with others. Kindness is listed among the “fruit of the Spirit,” along with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
These virtues may be cultivated in our lives, but they come first as the result of God’s presence and power within us by faith in Jesus Christ. They are not the cause of the Holy Spirit; they are the result of his work.
One would not immediately think of these qualities as manifest in the world in which we find ourselves. Too easily do we surrender to the temper of our times. Too often do we confuse our convictions with our character. Too quickly do we excuse the carnality of our impulses. Too subtly are we swept up in the tide of our conflicted culture.
Kindness isn’t the product of personality; it’s the attribute of spirituality. In a world that too often rewards concentrated power and ruthless ambition, kindness is a radical demonstration of our Christian faith. You and I are told to “clothe” ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12).
These are central to how we order our lives daily. We find the strength to live in the Spirit by the power of the Spirit living in us. We find our example in the life and work of Jesus.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another,” Paul tells the Ephesians, “forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). What’s been done for us, we must do for others. Nothing impacts our witness more than kindness. Through the eyes of kindness, we see our neighbors, our world, and ourselves.
“Dear God,” prayed a little girl, “make all the bad people good, and make the good people nice.” There is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act of kindness changes the world.
I don’t know the woman Ella will become. God alone knows. My prayer for her is that when her time on earth is done, she will be always remembered as a person who had a kind heart.
The Most Kindhearted.
It’s a great superlative.
To order Jack Wyman’s book, “Everything Else: Stories of Life, Faith and Our World”, go to amazon.com, Christian Book Distributors or barnesandnoble.com. It is also available on Kindle and eBooks.
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