Strive to be a force of kindness in this world

The World Baseball Classic has been underway these last few weeks. St. Louis Cardinal Lars Nootbar is playing on Japan’s national team, and the country has embraced him. And what is there not to like? Lars is good at playing his position. He is an inspiration to his teammates. He has an infectious smile and a great sense of humor. He loves the nation’s fans and interacts well with them. In response to this Nootbar love affair, a Raman restaurant is now offering Nootbar Noodles, which is a noodle dish with a lot of freshly ground pepper. Yep, Lars is now a sports star in Japan.

Lars Nootbar is one of those people who lights up any room he is in. So, what is his secret? He is outgoing, but that alone does not draw people to you. There are true introverts who also possess that charisma that draws people to them. Lars secret lies in these things: He works hard and performs his job well. He is an optimist. He has a great sense of humor and doesn’t take himself too seriously. And he is kind to other people.

I think of all of his qualities, the most important is being kind. Kindness seems to be a characteristic that is fading in our nation. We see on the news people being beaten as they walk down the street. People are pointing guns at employees working at drive-thru windows. So many people have no regard whatsoever for anyone else but themselves. So, let us strive to be a force of kindness in the world. Let us open the door for others. Let us smile more and laugh more. Let us seek out those who need a helping hand and actually help them. When someone tries to describe who we are, may they say without hesitation, that we are kind.

“Those who despise their neighbor are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the needy.”

Proverbs 14:21