In 1979 [40 years ago - the year I graduated from college!], Nick Lowe released the song "Cruel To Be Kind". I actually remember that song. What I did not know until this past week is that the title was taken from Shakespeare's great play, "Hamlet". How could I not know that? For those of you who, like me, missed out on "Hamlet" in High School/College, The Prince said these lines to his mother right after "accidentally" killing a spy -
"I must be cruel only to be kind
Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."
Shakespeare certainly knew human nature, and he got many things right in his work. Even this strange thought is probably not particularly unusual in human interactions. Still, it is a sad commentary that we would ever associate any type of cruelty with kindness.
A play-writer of a more recent vintage, Tennessee Williams [who spent much time in New Orleans], had one of his famous characters say this in "A Streetcar Named Desire" -
"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
There is no cruelty in such kindness. And, God would say that this actually describes each of us because, at one point, we were all enemies to God, and thus strangers to Him. But even in that state, God bent down and fed us, and then picked us up and made us His own children. That is why kindness must guide the way we treat others - whether strangers , or "enemies", or even our Faith Family [and yes, sometimes the ones we treat the worst are the ones closest to us - Heaven help us!]. Only then will we truly be like our Heavenly Father.
A couple of years ago, our friend, Al Lachner was here for a weekend, and I took him to meet with a young couple who were considering joining our church, but were hesitating about a number of things. Eventually, in a pretty obvious attempt to paint us into a "traditional/fundamentalist" corner from which they could walk away without looking back, they asked - "What do you think about gay people?" Al's immediate response took them by surprise. He said, "We should be kind to them."
Amen, Al. In the words of the Scottish evangelist, Henry Drummond - "The greatest thing a man can do for his Heavenly Father is to be kind to some of His other children." Go out and do something great this week!
~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey
