September 1, 2016

“Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3

In the movie, About Time, a father and son are given the ability to travel back in time, reliving moments only in their lifetimes. They use this gift to go back and change embarrassing moments, correct an inappropriate response, or finally say that thing that’s been heavy on their heart. The one thing they cannot do is change the problems inherent with ordinary life.

The son uses this gift to win the heart of a girl whom he later marries. The father, who is battling terminal cancer, travels back to read more, play more table tennis with his son and live more fully in the moment. At his son’s wedding, for example, he chooses to go back and “re-do” the toast that would otherwise be left infamously remembered. He seizes the rare opportunity to publicly express his love for his son in the company of their closest friends and family members, sharing what he has discovered in his final chapter as most important in a relationship. He says:

“I’d only give one piece of advice to anyone marrying. We’re all quite similar in the end. We all get old and tell the same tales too many times, but try and marry someone…kind…and this is a kind man with a good heart.”

Of the laundry list of qualities we often seek in a mate, a friend, etc., they all seem to lose their significance without first having kindness to trickle from. All good things begin with kindness. Kindness is a concern for others. It’s where we experience God’s love. Even when the going gets tough, an act of kindness (given or received) can bring us peace, much like prayer can. It can quiet the noise in our heads, allowing us to zero in on what’s important.

So, rather than dumping more into our lists in order to “complete” something, what if we asked ourselves what we can do without, instead, and focus first on being kind? We might find that much of the rest falls naturally in place.

In the movie, after his father’s passing, the son chooses to simplify his life by not traveling back in time anymore. He decides to focus on living every day as if he had deliberately come back to that one day, embracing its ups and downs, choosing only to manipulate the beauty of an imperfect moment with his continued kindness.

Julia Maisch, Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor

About Time