That is a relief for anyone who has prayed for kindness and still snapped at their family an hour later. Kindness is mostly a decision made many times a day, and these prayers are for making it.
Historical Context
Francis de Sales had a famous temper as a young man and became known as “the gentleman saint.” He said that more flies are caught with a spoonful of honey than with a barrel of vinegar. He is proof that kindness can be learned.
A Prayer for Kindness
Lord, I put on kindness this morning, like a coat.
Help me keep it on all day.
When I am tired, keep my words soft.
When someone is slow, keep me patient.
When I could make a cutting remark, let me make a kind one.
Let the people I meet today feel a little lighter for meeting me.
Amen.
For Kindness at Home
Lord, I am kindest to strangers and sharpest with the people I love.
Turn that around.
Let my family get the best of me, not what’s left.
Amen.
For Kindness Toward a Difficult Person
Lord, you know who this is for.
I don’t feel kind toward them.
Help me act kindly anyway, and leave the feelings to you.
Show me what they might be carrying that I can’t see.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- Each morning, before the day’s first conversation.
- Before a family gathering, a meeting, or a phone call you’re dreading.
- After you’ve been unkind, as the start of an apology.
- On 24 January, the feast of St Francis de Sales.
Scripture Connection
“Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” — Ephesians 4:32
Paul gives the reason as well as the command: we are kind because we have received kindness. When kindness runs low, the place to refill it is remembering how much we have been forgiven.
Related prayers
For the gentleman saint, see the Saint Francis de Sales Prayer. When anger is the problem, the Prayer to Remove the Spirit of Anger, and for honesty, the Prayer for Honesty.