“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” — 1 Peter 3:8-9, NIV

Unfortunately, not everyone will treat us with the kindness and consideration that we would hope for. In fact, dealing with difficult people is a part of life. Even though we cannot control how they act or treat us, we get to choose how we treat them.

As Christians, we should not strive to treat “evil with evil or insult with insult.” Our actions toward others should overflow with love and forgiveness because God loves and has forgiven us.

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” — 1 Peter 4:8, NIV

Sharing kindness with those who are not showing us the same respect is not easy. Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to help us as we struggle with being loving or having self-control. We can pray to God about our struggles in this or any area.

“Do everything in love.”— 1 Corinthians 16:14, NIV

Kindness is a way for us to show love and keep the command to love others. Kindness can take on many different forms from encouraging words to spending time or money to help others.

Sometimes kindness may be valued by others. Other times it may go unnoticed or even unappreciated. However, when we are showing others kindness it should not be in hopes of something in return or to show other people how kind we are. Rather, our kindness should come from a genuine place of love, not expecting a reward but instead striving to please God and care for others.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” — Matthew 5:14-16, NIV

Our kindness and the way we treat others can be a reflection of Christ to those who do not believe. Shining our light through kindness might be something that sparks their interest in our beliefs. Even if this does not happen, showing kindness, despite the situation, should be a goal for us. This way we can grow and become more like Jesus Christ, who served others while he was on Earth.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” — Colossians 3:12-13, NIV

Life is full of situations where we have to interact with other people and we are presented with a choice: how are we going to treat them? At times, kindness may not be our instinctual response because kindness often requires sacrifice of some sort on our end.

Sometimes kindness requires us to put aside our pride and humble ourselves. Other times it may take time or energy. However, kindness is worth what it costs. The Bible prompts us many times to treat others with kindness and love throughout our lives.