But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5: 22-23a

My husband has been following the aftermath of a high school basketball game in which the winner would advance to the New Jersey State Championship game for Class 2 schools. The game between Manasquan and Camden was weighted toward the probability that the Camden team would be making a second appearance at the state final in as many years.

In a last-second shot by a Manasquan player, a three-pointer missed its mark but the ball was picked up by another player and dropped into the basket. A referee ruled the shot good. Manasquan had triumphed over the stronger Camden team by the narrowest of margins, 46-45. They were headed to the championship game. But wait, another referee called a conference. He had seen the shot differently, the decision was reversed, and the win was awarded to Camden. The Manasquan boys went from exultation to devastation in a matter of moments.  

Needless to say, there has been much discussion about this game, social media has been abuzz with a variety of comments and insults, and the Camden coach was not a particularly graceful winner. A review of tapes following the game revealed that the call was in error. The original call should have stood. However, instant replay is not allowed at the games and once the court is cleared, the referee’s decision stands.

The result triggered an appeal to the New Jersey governing authority for high school athletics, but they refused to overturn the decision even though they and the referees admitted the call was wrong. A lawsuit was filed to delay the game until mediation could take place but the court denied that appeal. Manasquan had no recourse left.

Last Saturday, the Manasquan boys traveled to state finals to watch their girls team play for first, and while they were there they also watched Camden. When the buzzer sounded with Camden taking home the championship, the Manasquan boys rose to their feet and gave Camden a standing ovation. Their display of sportsmanship made a huge splash over all the news media.

Their tribute was an honorable act of kindness and I believe, for some at least, it came from a well of goodness in the hearts of these boys.

For years I took these two words, kindness and goodness for granted, but recently I’ve begun to see them differently. In many ways they are interchangeable. However, under closer examination, kindness is more of a verb. It indicates an act of friendliness or generosity, while goodness is a quality that resides within us. It is our core of morality, integrity, and character. And while they are both gifts from the Spirit, goodness is an innate quality tucked deep inside us by God our Father at the time of our birth. What we do with it is our choice. We can tamp it down, deny it exists, go our own way and still perform acts of kindness for others. But until we let God take that tiny seed of goodness in each of us, allow Him to tend and water it, to give it nourishment, our acts of kindness are just that, acts. The two, kindness and goodness feed off one another. The more we allow God to grow our inbred goodness, the more love will be shared through the kindnesses we show to others and the more natural it becomes to offer those kindnesses.

The Manasquan boys could have allowed their disappointment to grow into anger or a desire for revenge. They could have been influenced by all the media attention. They could have shouted unkind remarks at their former opponents. But they chose honor and respect. Now, I don’t know how many of those young men have made a decision to follow Jesus or if any have done so. But I believe that the God-given seed of goodness that was planted in their hearts rose up in that moment and resulted in a true act of kindness. That small moment in time may have been a turning point in lives that could be the beginning of a lifetime relationship.

When we show kindness and goodness to others, we honor our commitment to Jesus and though it may seem an unusual illustration, I thought about Mary as I was writing this little story. Her brother Lazarus had just been brought back to life by her friend, Jesus, who was facing his own eminent death. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet while her sister Martha was bustling around their home trying to prepare a perfect dinner and complaining about Mary’s lack of help. Jesus told her:

“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42b)

In the end, the Manasquan team chose “what was better.” Probably without even knowing it, they set a beautiful example for all of us and they will be remembered for it. What will we be remembered for?