THE KINDEST PEOPLE

THE KINDEST PEOPLE

Life’s Lesson

The kindest people you will ever meet will not look like what you were taught kind people look like.

They smoke. They drink. They curse when they get mad. They have a rough edge to them. Their language is not always clean, their life is not always tidy. They have tattoos that tell stories, scars that have lessons in them, a past that was not perfect. They have been through some things. They have been broke. They have been broken. They have been betrayed. They have had to learn how to survive before they learned how to be soft. Yet, those are the people who will give you the shirt off their back.

While some of the most evil, cold, judgmental, and cruel people you will ever meet will be sitting in church every Sunday morning looking perfectly respectable. Dressed right. Hair right. Bible highlighted. Smile practiced. They know exactly what to say to sound holy, but they do not know how to love without conditions. Their kindness is a performance. Their goodness is a costume.

That is when life taught me to stop judging people by the packaging.

Because we live in a world obsessed with packaging.

We judge by clothes, by cars, by titles, by followers, by how well someone can quote scripture or speak politely. We trust the clean-cut voice and we fear the rough one. We trust the suit and we doubt the hoodie. We trust the soft-spoken churchgoer and we dismiss the loud-mouthed sinner.

But packaging tells you almost nothing about what is actually inside a person. A gift can come in a torn grocery bag and still be priceless. Poison can come in a beautiful bottle and still kill you.

Real character does not show up in appearances. It does not show up in reputations. Reputation is what people think you are. Rumors. Gossip. What you have curated for others to see. Character is what you are in the dark when no one is watching, when there is no reward, no applause, no benefit.

Real character shows up in how someone treats you when there is absolutely nothing for them to gain.

It shows in how they treat people who can do nothing for them. How they talk to the waiter who got the order wrong. How they talk about their ex when that ex is not there to defend themselves. How they treat animals. How they treat children. How they treat the old lady struggling with her groceries. It shows in the quiet things.

Anyone can be kind when it is convenient. Anyone can be generous when they have extra. Anyone can be loyal when you are winning. But watch how they move when it costs them something. Watch who stays when you are at your lowest and you have nothing to offer but your brokenness. Watch who checks on you when you go quiet. Watch who defends your name when you are not in the room. Watch who tells you the truth when a lie would be easier and would make you like them more.

That is character. I have met men who looked scary but would sit with you for hours when you lost someone you love, not saying much, just being there so you didn't have to be alone. I have met women who cursed like sailors but prayed harder for me than anyone who claimed to love me. I have met people the world would call sinners who showed me what forgiveness really looks like. I have met people the world would call saints who could not show an ounce of grace when someone else made a mistake.

So I learned to ask better questions. Not the questions we were taught to ask. Not, what do they do for a living? Not, where did they go to school? Not, what church do they go to? Not, how do they dress?

But

How do they love?

Is their love patient, or is it conditional?

How do they move when it costs them something?

Do they only show up when it's easy for them?

How do they show up when it actually counts?

When you are sick, when you are broke, when you are embarrassed, when you are not fun to be around?

How do they handle your weaknesses?

Do they use them against you, or do they protect them?

How do they act when they are angry?

Because everyone is nice when they are happy. The truth comes out in anger.

At the end of your life, you will realize something. The people who really mattered were never the ones with the perfect image. They were the ones with the real heart. The ones who were rough around the edges but soft at the core. The ones who did not have much, but gave everything.

Remember this. The cleanest image in the room can hide the coldest heart. The roughest exterior can hold the warmest heart you will ever know. Some halos are fake. Some rough hands are holy. Do not be fooled by the wrapping. Look at what is inside.

Judge people by their character.

Judge them by their loyalty, their compassion, their intentions when no one is watching.

That is the only judgment that ever tells you the truth……

Composed and Created by VETERAN

Life Coach, Author, Novelist, Writer, & Poet

Marius F Robbertze

AKA (MFR ™) ©®