Not NICE but KIND

At a recent conference in conversation with other ministers the comment was made about me, "You're not Nice but you are Kind".

I took that as a high complement. I hope to be Kind. I hope never to be mistaken for nice. I know that I was hearing in the conversation a rehash of a recent sermon this minister had just given. We all do that. Give something we have poured our lives energies into at the drop of a hat rehearsing it back. I mean we have a new audience who hasn't yet heard our sermon. I can always tell.

But there is something revolting to me about the idea of a God (Jesus) who is syrupy nice. IF I met Jesus face to face I would most likely tremble in my shoes and fall to the ground as if I were dead. That's what happened to the Apostle that Jesus Loved, John, when he met the resurrected Jesus. Revelation 1:12-18

12 Then I turned to see [whose was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 And in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire. 15 His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday.
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, 18 And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead).

I am not the only one revolted by the idea of supersweet Nice God. In the Tribune today two articles piqued my interest. I would commend them to you. It costs nothing to sign up for this service and it's worth it. One is about a movement called GodMen that has a basic tenet, I THANK GOD FOR MY TESTOSTERONE.

The Other is about a man I never met but that a friend of mine knew quite well. Jay Bakker. Scion of Jim and Tammy Faye. He is now a "Preacher" in his own right. His ministry sounds anything but NICE. I think I might like attending his church.

These two articles are signposts along a highway that is leading us away from a namby pamby Jesus, babe in the manger, all nice all the time, to a Jesus who is here to kick some serious devil butt. I can relate to that.

I have relatives who struggle with the fact that I'm not nice. I ask hard questions. I don't give up. I stay with an issue. I'm Kind. I'm not Nice. I don't plan to change. Is it NICE or KIND to yell at a kid running out into heavy Traffic? Sometimes LOVE compells me to take actions that others may see as not nice. If its not driven by love it's just so much clanging gongs. I always hear this from people who take offense and my lack of NICE, "You could have picked a "Nicer" way to say that". OK, I'd translate that ineffective and obscure. You may be familar with the concept of Minnesota Nice. If you grew up in Minnesota (or as I did near it) you know that is code for mumbling indirectness while looking at your shoes hoping the hearing party catches onto the nuance. WHAT? Say it already! The other argument for nice is that you can't get others cooperation by not being nice. OK, so what? If nice is the driving force for your cooperation it will dissolve into a heap of BS very soon. Just as soon as someone doesn't do what you or they thought someone did or didn't do and has their feelings hurt. I'm just sick of it. MEN, be a man, KIND, caring, compassionate but don't try to be nice. Be strong but not cruel. Life is too short to be nice.

On my bookshelf are large heavy books of Greek and Hebrew words. I looked up any reference to NICE in any iteration in the Bible. Smooth Words was a close as I came and they were not in a positive context. Had to do with a whore soliciting business.

But Kindness. Lots of References. Like Romans 2:4

Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

So, I thought, what does it mean in the original language. Here's what I came up with.

Kindness in it's meaning Biblically has to do with Demeanor, not necessarily action. It has to do with justice and generosity. With being Tolerant at the right time and intolerant at others. Patience when patience is proper and direct when not. It has to do with appropriate Gentleness and proper distance when Gentleness isn't correct. Some translations confuse the word Gentleness for Kindness. They are not the same word. In Galatians 5 as the word is translated it seems to go either way, but it is not the word Kindness as used in the rest of the Bible (Mostly). Getting at the root of Greek and Hebrew words is more art than science but in a way unless you do you miss the color of the meanings.

I think the best way is to say, kindness is how a child feels when her Father who loves her is at her side. She knows that he might deal with her if she gets out of line. She knows while she is by his side and that his purpose is only to do her good and protect her. He will discipline her, sometimes severely, but not harm her. In Lewis' "Lion Witch and Wardrobe" series there is a description given by Mrs. Beaver of this "Kind but not NICE" God type Aslan the Lion King.

"Is -- is he a man?" asked Lucy. "Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion -- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

It's my goal in life to be Kind in every way possible and never to be mistaken as nice. I want to emulate my King. As he grows in me I will be thankful for my manhood and it's kind but not nice nature. I hope as I get old(er) it will be said of me, "He's a very kind man, but he can be a little testy".. The worst thing they could say is, "He's a nice old man". What a disdaining thing to say.

I am thankful for a Jesus who is at the same time Kind (Not safe but good) and you can trust Him. I have seen all the pictures of him with a lapful of lambs and all. That's OK, but lets see if we can get a better picture of him.

Kind but not Nice.

Maybe those lambs were for Lunch? Now that makes sense.

Now, don't get all offended on me you old religious spirit; I love a good rack of Lamb, crusted with herbs and dried mustard, baked to perfection, YUM!

I think I'll go make some right now.