How should I respond when others are unkind to me? - Kindness - TouchPoints

Matthew 5:47If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

1 Peter 2:18You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.

1 Peter 3:9Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it.

Respond kindly, with integrity. Kindness isn’t conditional, but rather a quality of the heart.

Proverbs 24:28-29Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”

Do not testify spitefully against innocent neighbors; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for all their meanness to me! I’ll get even!”

1 Thessalonians 5:15See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Luke 6:27-36But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also . . . Do for others as you would like them to do for you.

Romans 12:14If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

Proverbs 25:21-22If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.

Genesis 50:15-21But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became afraid. “Now Joseph will pay us back for all the evil we did to him,” they said . . . But Joseph told them, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families.” And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them.

God calls us to pray for those who have treated us unkindly. He commands us to look for opportunities to compassionately meet their needs. This is the kind of radical kindness God first demonstrated to us (Romans 5:8).

2 Kings 6:18-23As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria. As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.” So the king made a great feast for them and then sent them home to their master. After that, the Aramean raiders stayed away from the land of Israel.

Remember, it is possible to subdue an enemy with kindness!