Converge, Week 5

Day 3: True Kindness Tells the Truth
Devotional
Our culture has confused kindness with niceness, but they’re not the same thing. Niceness avoids difficult conversations to maintain comfort. Kindness engages difficult conversations to promote genuine wellbeing. A nice person tells you what you want to hear. A kind person tells you what you need to hear. When we speak biblical truth about God’s design for life, relationships, and morality, we’re often accused of being harsh or unloving. But consider this: is it more loving to affirm someone in a path that leads to destruction, or to lovingly point them toward life? Is it kinder to let someone believe a lie that feels good temporarily, or to share the truth that brings eternal freedom? Real love sometimes wounds in order to heal. A surgeon’s scalpel causes temporary pain to remove what threatens life. Similarly, biblical truth can initially sting because it exposes our need for God’s grace and transformation. But this momentary discomfort leads to lasting healing and hope. When we choose truth over temporary comfort, we offer the greatest kindness possible - the opportunity for someone to know their Creator and find their true purpose.
Bible Verse
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. - Proverbs 27:6
Reflection Question
Think of a relationship where you’ve been choosing ‘niceness’ over ‘kindness’ - how might speaking truth in love actually serve that person better?
Quote
Advocating for reality is kindness.
Prayer
God, give me wisdom to know when to speak and courage to choose kindness over mere niceness. Help me love others enough to tell them the truth.