A Little Kindness Makes a World of Difference

A couple of weeks ago I had the delightful opportunity to see the remarkable documentary film “Won't You Be My Neighbor?” about Fred Rogers (the man responsible for the PBS children's show “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.” I knew of the show, but I'm not sure if I ever actually watched it. Which may have been part of why I found the film so compelling. Going in I didn't have any emotional investment in the subject matter, and yet I found myself absolutely enthralled and inspired. As one reviewer put it, “On paper, all that low-key positivity ought to be tricky material for a documentary filmmaker. But watching “Won't You Be My Neighbor?” was a profoundly emotional experience.” There were several things which grabbed me. First, here was this quiet, gentle, unassuming man who was absolutely driven, by his faith and by his deep concern for the well being of children, to do something to make a difference in the world. He ran against the grain of cultural trends. His show wasn't flashy, it was slow-paced and gentle. And his message was profound in it's simplicity. He wanted every child to know that they had inherent value. “I like you just the way you are.” He took children and their feelings seriously. He respected them. 

Sometimes in the church we try to get fancy. We think we need to get on board with the all of the latest cultural trends. We fall into the trap of believing that if we just do this, or that, or some other thing that we heard about, then we will be successful. We worry that our message always needs to be exciting and flashy or else people won't be interested. But the truth is that we don't need to be flashy, we just need to be real. We need to be kind and caring. We need to be open and honest. We need to practice hospitality. We already have an amazing message. “No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.” My experience at Plymouth is that these are more than just words. They speak to a reality which we embody and live out on a regular basis. In our own quiet, gentle ways, may we continue to reach out beyond ourselves and touch the world with the power of God's love and acceptance. 

- Roger Lynn

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)