Ever met someone that you can't stand to be around? Most people I have asked this question, the answer is yes. There is always that one person who can just enter the room and automatically be on your bad side. Even though we aim to be nice to that one person, alot of times our motives become apathetic. We become cold towards them, and perhaps even rude. As Christians, we cannot choose who we are kind to and who we treat badly. God views us all the same and loves us all equally. He expects us to do the same.
That being said, I want to talk about kindness. It is indeed one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. How does it feel when someone treats you kindly when you first meet them? Does it make you feel good inside? Do you feel more significant and worthy of the attention? Or does it make you want to be a better person because someone else is treating you the way you want to be treated?
As a weekly church goer and an upcoming youth leader, I feel that there is alot expected from me, especially when it comes to my character. Whenever I am upset or angry at someone my mom is the first to correct me and never even give me a chance to respond to my anger. She tries to help me forget and react the way God would, which is easier said than done, being that I am still just a teenage girl. Unfortunately, I have a past that makes it hard for me to reflect the kindness that Jesus showed his people when he was on this earth. I would say that about 85% of every person I have ever called my friend has hurt me in a major way. Most of those people I don't even associate with anymore. When someone hurts you, the first thing you want to do is lash out at them, and then ignore them and give them dirty looks. If you're really bad you might gossip about them. In 3 years I have had to mature so much when it comes to broken relationships and heartache. I'm still not perfect, especially when it comes to letting things go. But I have learned many things by trying to deal with people who hurt me or have no regard for my feelings.
First of all, I've learned to keep this main question in my mind: What would Jesus do? It probably sounds corny, but it works. In Luke 33-34 it says: "And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.'' This verse always got to me. I mean, Jesus was not only the son of God, he WAS God. At any moment he could have sent fire and lightning down and vaporized every single person who sought to oppress and harm him, but instead he asked his Father to forgive them of their sins. I think that's what keeps me going and wanting to strive to be kind to people.
My mama has taught me alot since she gave birth to me nearly 16 years ago. One of the best advice she gave me though, was "Sweetie, there are going to be alot of people in your life that hurt you. But right now you need to find out who your true friends are and who you need to avoid. Through everything though, treat those who oppress you with love, and kill them with kindness." Isn't that awesome? The greatest revenge you can have is forgiving those who seek to bring you down. No one understands why you would ever be nice to them when they treated you like crap, and it really makes them think. How stupid do you think the Pharisees must have felt when they tried to call Jesus a liar? Instead of going into a rage and cursing them, he nearly stuck to the truth and responded calmly.
Kindness can be the ultimate source of revenge for you, and it also glorifies the Lord because being kind is what He called you to do. If he could have treated us with kindness all those years ago, why can't we do the same to each other? Is any of us really better than the other? I know I'm not any better than anyone on this earth, even though I act like it sometimes. So I guess what I am mainly saying is this: If you want to have a testimony and reach out to others in order for them to follow Christ, you have to make sacrifices. That includes showing kindness to those who persecute you. If you respond coldly and rudely, that testimony is blown. Believe me, once you blow your testimony, it's very hard to renew it. Love your enemies and be kind to them. It could just change their lives one day.
