Two men have been fined and ordered to do unpaid work after vandalising a statue of Paddington Bear. Pronouncing sentence, the judge told them that they were the antithesis of everything the bear stood for – kindness, tolerance and acceptance. While the label on Paddington’s coat reads ‘please look after this bear’, the behaviour of the men in question had demonstrated the very opposite. The two are now said to be extremely ashamed.
This time it was the statue of a bear, but all too often we show unkindness to our fellow human beings with far worse consequences. It was Cain in the Old Testament, who, when challenged about the murder of his brother Abel, said ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The answer should have been yes, and the fact that it wasn’t demonstrated how far he was failing to reflect the image of God in which he had been made.
Surprising as it may seem being kind doesn’t come as naturally as we might think. More often than not we are governed by our own self-interest. Paddington’s character shows us the way, but we need more than a good example to follow. We need power to change and only Jesus can give us that.
