How do you respond to criticism, rejection, or bad behavior? We all experience it,  and we all have to determine in advance how we are going to respond.

Many of us saw this acted out on a national stage Sunday and Monday in New Orleans.

At the Sunday Saints game in the Superdome, the Cincinnati Bengals handed the New Orleans Saints a tough loss. It wasn’t fun for many people in the dome, just the Cincinnati team and a few fans.

One of those fans sat in the right place at the right time and received a game ball from a Bengals player after he scored a touchdown.

The problem was she never received the ball. A New Orleans fan sitting next to her muscled the ball away and refused to give it to her. While we all watched this with embarrassment, the Saints organization handled it with class and so did the Bengals fan.

You can read about this here: http://waylonbailey.com/2014/11/18/you-better-believe-this-matters/

There’s really more to the story. After the game the Bengals fan consented to an interview–an interview in which she spoke kindly toward the Saints fan, even explaining why he wanted that ball so badly.

What an amazing interview. She was mistreated and never acted like a victim. Instead, she took every opportunity to speak kindly toward her antagonist.

That was the whole point about my blog yesterday. We are called to turn the other cheek, to give up our rights and give kindness instead.

While I tried to write about kindness using a keyboard and computer, the Bengals fan wrote about it with her words and actions.

When we have the opportunity to see kindness, forgiveness, and love in action, it makes all the difference.

That’s what has made the cross so enduring. On the cross, Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. On the cross, He took our guilt. On the cross, He bore our shame.

As the writer of Hebrews put it, “for the joy that was set before Him [Jesus]endured the cross, despising the shame,” and having completed His great forgiving work sat down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2).

“Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith . . .” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

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