In Chapter 7 of Getting Rid of the Gorilla, Brian Jones states: “Hatred is what has imprisoned us. Kindness is our ticket out. We’ve got to do what disciples do. Disciples love their enemies, personal enemies with names and faces . . .”
Pastor Jones goes on to discuss 3 reasons why kindness, which he defines as a “simple display of unvarnished grace”, is essential to ridding ourselves of the gorilla:
1. Justice, while necessary in civilized society, can never change what’s already done or get rid of our hatred and unforgiveness. Only kindness brings healing and transformation.
2. Showing kindness forces us into the flow of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we can do what only God is capable of doing.
3. Our hearts are softened when we show kindness to our offender. In reality though, initially we’re showing kindness to ourselves, since our offender most likely won’t appreciate it. We do it to get rid of the hatred and unforgiveness. As Brian emphasizes, “Do it over and over again, and watch what happens.”
1 Peter 3:9- “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with a blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
