What’s So Hard About Being Kind?
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…” Colossians 3:12
What is so difficult about exhibiting kindness? My former pastor has said many times that Christians do not have the right to be unkind. Webster’s Dictionary defines “kind” as “sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tender-hearted, generous, etc.” Aren’t those folks who fulfill this definition the sort of folks that we desire to be around? The most meaningful kindness is that which is displayed when we are angry, ridiculed, or ignored. Anyone can be confrontational. It’s our sinful nature to fight back with cutting words or dirty looks when treated disrespectfully. It takes a truly forgiving heart to be able to let wrongs done to one roll off his or her back. However, this is not to say that we must be doormats and allow others to take advantage of our kindness. And people will if we are not careful. There are people who think being kind is a type of weakness, but those who act in an insolent manner are actually showing their weakness in not being able to control their emotions.
Sometimes it is proper to defend ourselves when unjustly preyed upon, but we must be cautious in our response. I have witnessed incidents where a person who didn’t get his or her way about something acted rudely toward the cashier, server, or some other employee, who, most likely wasn’t responsible for the angry person’s situation. I think sometimes the person who lashes out at another is already looking for a fight because of some previous disagreement with a spouse, other family member, or co-worker. I have sympathy for the one who is the target of hostile comments, but I also have sympathy, to an extent, for the person who is so filled with vitriol that it spills out onto the first available, unsuspecting victim. The person that is so sensitive to every little upset must be a miserable person.
Folks say “misery loves company” which means some people who are miserable want everyone else around them to be miserable as if that would make the one spreading the misery around less miserable. It is the same idea that folks have about criticism of others. Some criticize others as a way to make them feel better about themselves. Some like to point out the sins of others in an effort to make their own sins not seem so bad. Go figure. However, all sin is bad.
Sometimes stuff just happens because we are all imperfect people living in an imperfect world. Our true character is revealed when dealing with frustrations and annoyances, and there certainly have been plenty of them to go around in these times of personal, public, and universal troubles. It takes a great deal of patience to deal with family members, co-workers, other drivers, shoppers, and just about everyone. Just think how much frustration that Jesus experienced with the self-righteous religious leaders, the general public, and even His own disciples. However, He was never unkind. He was angry when He drove out the moneychangers in the temple, but as far as we know, He did not attack them physically. His anger was not concerning Himself, but the sanctity of His Father’s house. His greatest exhibit of patience and kindness was at His crucifixion. He asked His Father to forgive those who were crucifying Him. Is it worth disrupting our peace-p e a c e-to give someone a piece-p i e c e-of our mind? As Al would say, “I don’t think so, Tim!”