Kindnessಮಾದರಿ

How will you respond?

Recently, I had a difficult run-in with the management of our venue for Sunday services. The organization (a secular community group) that manages the hall had a very different view from us on one of the practical aspects of our gatherings. I felt we could find a compromise and approached them about the issue. It didn’t go well. I left feeling frustrated and exasperated. When I got home, I began to vent to my wife about it. Feeling I had the moral high ground, I daydreamed out loud about all the clever and conniving ways I could get what I wanted.

In her infinite wisdom, she reminded me of a favorite saying of ours: "You get more with honey than vinegar." What if, instead of throwing (proverbial) punches, I could respond with kindness? With hindsight, I still believe I was in the right. We didn’t end up getting our compromise. But I’m so glad I chose to respond with kindness because it preserved the relationship.

What if, as Christians, our first impulse in these situations was not to be right but to be kind? In Colossians, Paul urges us to let our conversation with "outsiders" be full of grace and seasoned with salt. Not full of salt and seasoned with grace. To be clear, there’s a time to stand up to injustice, and this verse is not a call to get trampled on. But I wonder what would happen if we, as Christians, became famous for our kindness to outsiders?

Written by CHRIS GRESHAM-BRITT