We often weigh kindness in terms of its benefit to others. And it does. With every act of kindness we give up a little bit of ourselves. The few extra moments to open a door for someone or let someone else go before us in line. We give kindness in many ways. From doing simple acts to kindly listening to another.
While we may think that the benefits of kindness are all reaped by the receiver, the proverbs remind us of a fuller truth. “A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel person brings ruin on himself.” (Proverbs 11:17, CSB)
In being kind, we give to others and also repay ourselves. This is echoed in a common proverb – kindness is its own reward. The reward for kindness is joy, peace, and the satisfaction that comes from helping another.
The proverb also provides a comparison. The cruel damages themselves. To be cruel means to inflict intentional harm or pain on another. Perhaps that cruelty stems from inflated self-worth, a desire for profit, or a simple, demonic desire to cause harm. In their estimation, causing pain brings them joy. In reality, it is eroding their soul. As they seek to harm others, they are harming themselves far worse.
But there is more reward in kindness than even the joy that we repay ourselves. Jesus spoke of separating the sheep from the goats at the last judgment. In that day, some will be invited to enter the eternal kingdom because “ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:35–40, CSB) All of those are examples of kindness.
All humans on the earth can be kind. But those of us who have received the kindness of salvation through Jesus should be the kindest and never cruel. Some may read that passage in Matthew with an aha. All I have to be is a kind person to get to heaven. But without knowing Christ, without His forgiveness of our sins, we cannot be saved or truly kind.
The dividing line on this is the word worthy. Are we only kind to those worthy of our kindness? Anyone can do that. Jesus calls us to be kind to all, even those we deem as unworthy. After all, while we were still enemies and unworthy, Christ died for us. The greatest kindness of all.
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