Dear Family and Friends,

Peace has been restored. Our grandchildren returned home.

Actually, other than the first day when our two toddler-age grandkids fought over and ripped a book apart, all three of our grandkids were mostly angelic. They co-existed rather peacefully, playing next to each other like other children that age.

Co-exist. According to Eusebius (260-339), a bishop and early church historian, the early Christians did more than merely co-exist with the rest of society. They set themselves apart – with their kindness.

In his book, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius described a horrible plague and famine that devastated the Eastern Roman Empire in the early 4th century. 

The disease covered its victims with ulcers, causing the loss of sight. The famine was so severe that in “marketplaces and lanes, dead and naked bodies lay unburied for many days.”

And those families who were fortunate enough to be spared by the famine, could not escape the plague. Death was everywhere.

But in the face of death, the Christians did the unthinkable. 

“For they [the Christians] alone in the midst of such ills showed their sympathy and humanity by their deeds.

Every day some continued caring for and burying the dead, for there were multitudes who had no one to care for them; others collected in one place those who were afflicted by the famine, throughout the entire city, and gave bread to them all; so that the thing became [known] abroad among all men, and they glorified the God of the Christians.”  Ecclesiastical History (Eusebius)

And this was not a one-time event.

Julian the Apostate was a Roman Emperor in the mid-4th century, who was raised Christian but turned away from the faith.

By the time Julian became Emperor, the Christians were no longer being persecuted. But Julian hated the Christians. And made it his mission to stamp out Christianity and reinstate pagan practices in the empire.

In an instructional letter to a pagan priest, Julian wrote:

“For it is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galilaeans [Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us. Teach those of the Hellenic [pagan] faith to contribute to public service of this sort…”  Letter to Arsacius, High Priest of Galatia (Julian 362)

Did you notice that the one attribute of the early church highlighted by Julian and Eusebius was kindness?

Also note that during this period in history, the church had risen from a small fringe cult to the religion of Roman emperors.

You may be wondering by now, why all this history?

To make a simple yet obvious point: The world we live in can use a lot more kindness. And history proves we have the kind of kindness within us that can change the world. 

Dictionaries define kindness as the quality of being gentle, caring, and helpful. This secular definition suggests kindness is passive and optional in nature.

On the other hand, the attribute of the fruit of the Spirit called kindness means so much more.

The Greek word ‘chrēstotēs’’ means to be usefully kind; to meet real needs, in God’s way, in His timing.

It also means to be divinely kind; to meet needs with Spirit-produced goodness, while avoiding human harshness.

There is no equivalent word in the English language that carries this notion of kind and good.

Kindness is more than just a feeling. It’s showing our love through deeds. It’s being generous with our time, money and talents in meeting the needs of others. It’s love in action. 

Kindness is doing as this verse suggests.  

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17 NIV

There’s more to say about this kindness that’s already in us. But that will come another day. 

In love always,