You Were Led by Kindness
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Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:4
If you’ve followed Christ for more than a few years, you can probably look back and see versions of yourself that make you wince.
Convictions you once argued against.
Blind spots you didn’t know you had.
Habits you quietly defended.
You weren’t reborn mature. You were reborn dependent.
And God has been patient with you.
His patience had a purpose. The time He gave you wasn’t random. It was shaping you.
Think about how that has actually happened.
The Lord did not expose everything at once in you. He pressed on one area, then another. There were seasons when Scripture unsettled you. Conversations that revealed pride you couldn’t see before. Moments when conviction felt uncomfortable but necessary. He did not overwhelm you. He walked with you.
That is what His kindness looks like in real life.
Repentance grows in that kind of environment. You turn because you trust Him. You surrender because you’ve learned His correction is for your good.
Now bring that into your relationships.
When a younger believer says something naïve. When a friend keeps circling the same struggle. When your spouse reacts immaturely. When someone is clumsy in their theology or tone.
What comes out of you?
Frustration? Withdrawal? A feeling of superiority?
Or the patience you yourself were shown?
Even the simple concept of training a dog reveals the love and wisdom behind this truth. If the dog only experiences harshness, it braces and reacts. It may comply, but it stays tense. Steady kindness builds trust. Over time that trust produces loyalty, a willingness to follow, and a desire to stay close.
The kindness that led you to repentance is still forming you. And it is meant to shape how you speak, correct, teach, and endure with others.
The same kindness that stirred repentance in you also stirred devotion. It drew you near. It made you want to stay close to the One who had been patient with you.
If that is how God has dealt with you, then it must transform how you deal with others. Kindness is not weakness; it is a fruit of the Spirit. It is evidence that grace has taken root.
You were led by kindness.
Let that kindness be the way you lead, correct, and love.
Reflection Question
Where are you expecting faster growth from someone else than God required from you?
Further Reflection
📖 2 Timothy 2:24–26
📖 Galatians 5:22–23
📖 Titus 3:4–7
📖 Psalm 36:7
