Proverbs 11:17: “Those who are kind benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.”
When you set out to hurt others, you ultimately hurt yourself.
I have a vivid childhood memory of climbing onto the top bunk-bed with my sister and piling all of our Beanie Babies onto the ceiling fan. We climbed back down, ran to the light switch, and flipped the fan on as high as it could go. The fan spun faster and faster until our little beanies were flying full-speed in every direction! We darted out of the way of mini bears, birds, dogs, and my favorite kangaroo as we screamed and laughed. Then, BAM! My sister ran into me fast and hard. I fell down and was immediately angry about the pain. I picked up a nearby duck and threw it at her as hard as I could. I missed, broke a lava lamp, and got in a whole lot of trouble for my violent outburst.
Mistreating others always causes yourself pain in the end. It ruins your relationships, reputation, and leaves you with a heart full of anger and unrest. Choose kindness over cruelty. Choose love over hate. Choose forgiveness over revenge.
Have you been benefiting yourself by being kind or hurting yourself by mistreating others?