How to Win Friends and Influence People was not written in time to redirect Rehoboam. He sure could have used Dale Carnegie in his day. 

Rebo inherited his father Solomon’s wealth but not his wisdom. This placed him in a dangerous position. He was tested early, and he failed immediately. It didn’t have to be that way.

Rehoboam was urged by his father’s wise counselors to treat the leaders of the people with kindness. Solomon had left a lot of good stuff in place. It was an opportune moment to stop pressing so hard into building the kingdom. It was an equally opportune moment to build people. 

Rebo listened to the wise advice of his father’s counselors and considered it. Then he listened to the buddies he grew up with who had no leadership experience or wisdom. They told him to be a Tough Guy to show how strong he was. It didn’t take long for him to figure out he wasn’t as tough as he thought he was. His leadership opportunity shrunk to meet his capacity. 

If you should face the choice of being a Tough Guy or a Kind Guy, I commend to you the path of Kindness. Tough Guys get what they want when they want it until they meet up with someone tougher. There is always someone tougher. 

Kindness provides a broader group of friends. It makes conversations more enjoyable. It leads to better decision-making. It makes us hard to offend and less likely to behave offensively. Kindness builds character. Kindness wins the game of life. 

How do you know you are becoming more like Christ? You become kinder and gentler. Remember, Jesus was not a jerk. He was not mean or self-centered. He willingly laid down his life to make a way for us to enjoy a deep and abiding relationship with our Father in Heaven. 

Kindness wins friends and influences people. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 2:4, 

Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Kindness provides what we really want and offers what others really need. 

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I will live in such a manner that others anticipate kindness from me.

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Our Father, empower me to live shaped by your kindness. Bless me with kind thoughts, kind speech, and kind behavior. Deliver me from tough-guy arrogance and tough-guy failure. Make me more like our kind and gentle savior who laid down his life for his friends. Amen.