A "Blanket Statement" Uncovered

By Frank Webster

“Blanket statements” are things we say to communicate a broad viewpoint or provide a generalized description of people, places, or things. The problem with blanket statements is they sometimes are used to cover something that doesn’t need covering. Here is a personal story to explain further.

My wife Debbie and I live and minister in a retirement community in central Florida. It is the most unique culture we have ever experienced. Our neighborhood has over 1,600 homes, yet we all live and play together in common areas within our community. We have our own meeting place for a wide variety of gatherings, with adjacent gym, pickleball courts, sand volleyball, horseshoes, and more. (We also hold our weekly Connect Bible Study there.) In addition to all that, our community has its own social media platform called E-Neighbors, which is where this story really starts.

One day in December, I received a call from a prominent lady in the community whom I have visited often to talk about a variety of topics, including our church planting effort. Sheri asked me to go with her to visit an elderly couple with ongoing health issues who complain a lot about our community on E-Neighbors. Their complaints typically aren’t valid, but when did the truth ever hamper a good complaint?

We set a time for our visit and drove our golf carts over to their home. With prayer and flowers in hand, we were prepared to be kind in the face of unkindness. At the first knock and ring of the doorbell, three small dogs joined in, alerting their owners someone was at the door. The couple could see us through the door, yet they just sat in their recliners staring at us. After a second push of the doorbell to make it clear we weren’t leaving, the missus slowly got up and made her way to the door.

She didn’t seem impressed we were there, but we shared through the partially opened glass door that we hoped they would enjoy the flowers and realize there are friendly people in Spruce Creek. We smiled and wished them well, knowing we had gone as far as this visit would allow. “Okay. Thank you,” was the only response before the door slowly closed.

We looked at each other and said, “Well, we gave it a shot.”

To our surprise, the couple posted a kind word about two unknown people who brought them flowers. Saying something nice on E-Neighbors might have been a first for them. I’m not exaggerating that statement because it was the hot topic of discussion on the pickleball courts the next morning. “Did you see that the Colemans complimented someone yesterday? That never happens!”

When I joined the discussion, I revealed that Sheri and I were the visitors and described the weird interaction. A kind-hearted guy from New York responded, “You just can’t help people like that!”

Blanket Statement Alert!

Now, be honest. You might have said the same thing, right? I admit I have said similar things in the past, but this time the Lord stepped in and gave me better words: “Jesus teaches that if you love only those who love you back, what good is it? But if you love those who don’t love you back, you are loving as God loves.”

I could tell from the facial expressions of the three other guys that they heard the lesson. All four of us heard it. The Lord used this odd situation to chip away at some hard hearts. Later, a group of carolers stopped by their house, and they reported singing to smiling faces. It seems you can do something to help people like this.

So, am I saying to avoid all “blanket statements”? I’m not sure it would be possible. However, let’s determine to avoid excuses that keep us from being kind to the unkind. After all, we all know that other familiar blanket statement: “killing with kindness promotes life.”

About the Author: Frank Webster and his wife Debbie are joint project workers with the Florida State Mission Board and North American Ministries. Learn more: www.fwbnam.com.