When you get up in the morning, you must not only clothe yourself physically but spiritually and emotionally too. You must ask yourself, ‘What sort of attitude am I going to wear today? Will I be controlling or cooperative? Positive or negative? Complimentary or critical? Selfish or serving?’ You say, ‘But when I’m kind, people take advantage of me.’ Yes, sometimes that will happen. But that’s the difference between taking the low road or the high road. Which do you want to walk on? Despite the risks, here are two reasons to be kind: 1) ‘Because of [God’s] kindness you have been saved’ (Ephesians 2:8 TLB). Grace and kindness go together. Always! Poet Robert Burns said that the kind heart most resembles God. 2) Because you want people to be kind to you and treat you right. Jesus said, ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you’ (Matthew 7:12 NIV). If you are rude, people are going to be rude to you. But if you are kind, most people will desire to respond the same way. ‘Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly’ (Proverbs 21:21 GNT). And here is another reason to be kind: ‘Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel’ (Proverbs 11:17 TLB). So when you are kind to others, you are really doing yourself a favour. Let’s read it again: ‘As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience’ (Colossians 3:12 NIV). Now go out and try living that way for one whole day.
