A situation I helped resolve a few years ago showed me the power of kindness. A patron in our facility had forgotten his ID card (a big NO NO), and my staff wouldn’t let him in. Needless to say, he got upset and became rather aggressive with my staff. He asked to speak to a manager, and they retrieved me to talk to him. Rather than fuel his fire or trade words with him, I remained calm and respectful. Eventually, his temper subsided and he left as we had requested.
Kindness is powerful, and that’s the theme in today’s text. Just FYI – the prisoners of war (the Arameans) mentioned in the text had just tried to kill Elisha. Although Elisha had every reason to retaliate, he didn’t. Instead, he extended kindness; he fed his enemies instead of killing them. And it worked, according to 2 Kings 6:23: “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.”
Some people may push your buttons, but don’t stoop to their level. Instead, take the high road and “kill them with kindness.” True kindness will conquer evil.
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven – JESUS (from Matthew 5:44, New Living Translation)