Being kind to people in a sinful world is difficult. People don’t always act the way we would or say the things that we deem appropriate, but nevertheless we are called to extend kindness to each other.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The interesting thing about kindness is that it is not dependent on the other party’s response to our treatment of them. People can hate us and we can still choose to treat them in a way that is acceptable to the Lord.
We, being sinners, did not deserve God’s kindness towards us in the form of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Yet, regardless of our sins against him, he still chose to love us! Following that example, we are called to be kind even when we aren’t treated the way we want to be.
In Luke 6:35, Jesus says, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
Not only are we supposed to be kind to those who aren’t kind to us, we are even supposed to be kind to our enemies. Kind to those who literally despise us. This is a witness to others of how we live godly lives.
Loving those who hate us goes against the grain of society. It is not socially expected. That is why showing kindness can be such a witnessing tool for believers as they aim to lead others to Christ.
When we show kindness we shouldn’t be doing it to gain their approval or the approval of others, but rather simply to glorify God and help set an example of his love toward us.
