Jerry Bridges, On Being Thankful and Kind When Others Aren’t

“Our natural inclination is to show kindness only to those for whom we have some natural affinity – family, friends, likable neighbors. But God shows kindness to those who are most despicable – the ungrateful and wicked. Have you ever tried to be kind to someone who was ungrateful? Unless God’s grace was working in your heart in a significant way, your reaction to his ingratitude may well have been, ‘I’ll never do anything for him again!’ But God doesn’t turn His back on the ungrateful. … We need to develop a kind disposition, to be sensitive to others and truly desire their happiness.” (The Practice of Godliness)