SY104 Life Appreciation Show
Kindness. One of the nine “Fruits of the Spirit.” What is kindness, and why is it such an important lesson for us to learn? In fact, people are not inclined to be kind. It is not something that we come into this world knowing and yet, we are always seeking kindness from those around us. Kindness begins with empathy, or caring and understanding the feelings of others. We must look beyond our own immediate needs and desires. Receiving kindness is easy; showing kindness can be difficult and even painful, but less so if we have been bestowed with the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God is where all of the Fruits of the Spirit begin, and He has given us a perfect example of how those “fruits” can be shared through the life of His Son, Jesus. If we all strive to nurture what has been planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, the world will not only be a better place, but all will see God through our kind actions.
The songs, stories, and dancing that was shared with us at the Life Appreciation show last December all emphasized how showing kindness can change someone’s life. The kindergarten classes recited a passage from 1 Corinthians 13, which teaches us about what loving kindness entails: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud…” the list goes on. The songs that were sung by the first, second, third and fifth grades all shared beautiful examples of what it means to be kind to others.
The fourth grade classes performed two short plays emphasizing the kindness shown in stories from the Bible. The story of “The Good Samaritan” taught us about showing kindness to strangers in need, being generous and putting away our pride. Additionally, the story of “Zacchaeus” showed us that being kind to unkind people, though difficult at times, can lead to an unkind person finding and receiving God’s love. The students and teachers put a remarkable amount of effort into putting together their sets and costumes, and of course learning their lines in English.
The sixth grade classes also performed stories from the Bible, focusing on how Jesus and his disciples were sharing the news of God’s love. In the performance of “Jesus and the Children,” we found the disciples turning children away from Jesus because he was “too busy.” Jesus, of course, said to let the children come to Him. Everyone deserves to be shown kindness, even the smallest of children. Then, they shared the stories of Jesus healing a blind man and a man with leprosy. When everyone else turned their backs to the suffering of the sick, Jesus extended his kindness to them. Those who are hurting are the ones that need kindness the most, even when it is difficult to share it. The disciples and all of Jesus’ followers (and the audience!) learned some valuable lessons about kindness.
Through these performances, the students got up close and personal with what it means to be kind as they learned their parts and the roles they were to perform. Thanks to their efforts, we all were reminded of how kindness plays such an important part in our efforts to be closer to God and how others see God through our actions. Very well done, students and teachers! Your hard work was highly appreciated and extremely important as we all learn to make our world a better, kinder place.
