Kill Them With Kindness

Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. (Proverbs 11:17)

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)

Kindness is something this world could use a lot more of. You will be hard pressed to ever go a day in your life where you don’t meet someone who needs a kind word. Jesus modeled kindness so well during His time on earth, never turning anyone away who wanted to see Him or talk to Him. He always had time to speak a kind word or do a kind deed, and as His children, we should desire to do the same.

There’s an old saying that goes, “Kill them with kindness.” A lot of truth can be found in that statement, because you can kill animosity, bitterness, anger, and hard feelings just by being kind. Here are two secrets on how you can kill people with kindness.

1. Show kindness with your deeds.

Even the smallest act of kindness can go a long way in a relationship. Tenderness can motivate people to do things that toughness never can. For instance, think about the different leaders you’ve interacted with in your life. The great leaders do not drive people with the crack of a whip. They lead people with the warmth of a kind word. Jesus took that exact approach, and that is why so many people gravitated towards Him.

2. Share kindness with your words.

While showing kindness with your deeds is super important, it is not the only way to bear this fruit. Kindness can also be shown to others through your words. This is particularly important in the context of hard conversations. You can be honest with someone, or give someone constructive criticism, and still be kind. In fact, that’s exactly what you should do. Confrontation on its own is not unkind, but the manner in which confrontation is handled can be if we’re not careful. You can confront wrongdoing. You can bring correction to a situation. You can tell the truth, but you should do all of those things through the filter of kindness.

Dear Lord, thank you for the many ways you’ve given us to be able to spread kindness. I ask that you would give me opportunities to be kind to others with my words and with my deeds. Help me to be a light for you by the way I love the people around me. Amen.