Shane & Shane - Kind Like You Lyrics
Lyrics
You said be kind Be kind to everyone Forgiving them Just like you have done What about the times I feel betrayed And I can't turn the other cheek
Make me kind Kind like you And in time I could too Learn to forgive Like you've forgiven me Help my heart love them tenderly
Oh you were kind Kind to everyone Forgiving them You never threw a stone What about the times you were betrayed What about when you hung upon a tree
Make me kind Kind like you And in time I could too Learn to forgive Like you've forgiven me Help my heart love them tenderly
Tenderly oh tenderly Oh help me love the way You love me Tenderly oh tenderly Oh help me love the way You love me Tenderly oh tenderly Oh help me love the way You love me Tenderly oh tenderly Oh help me love the way You love
Make me kind Kind like you And in time I could too Learn to forgive Like you've forgiven me Help my heart love them tenderly
Video
Kind Like You | Kingdom Kids feat. Shane & Shane
Meaning & Inspiration
"Kind Like You," from Shane & Shane's *Worship in the Word, Vol. 2 (Live)* album, released on September 2, 2022, offers a profound exploration of one of Christianity's most challenging yet essential commands: radical kindness and forgiveness. The song emerges as a raw, honest prayer, articulating the often-unseen struggle within believers to live out the very principles they profess. It doesn't shy away from the tension between divine expectation and human frailty, instead embracing it as the starting point for spiritual growth. At its core, this song is a heartfelt plea for transformation, asking God to infuse a human heart with His own boundless capacity for grace, especially towards those who cause pain.
The song immediately confronts the listener with God's directive: "You said be kind / Be kind to everyone / Forgiving them / Just like you have done." This opening reflects numerous New Testament admonitions, such as Ephesians 4:32, which urges us to "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Similarly, Colossians 3:13 instructs, "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Shane & Shane then voice the inevitable human counterpoint, the resistance of a wounded spirit: "What about the times I feel betrayed / And I can't turn the other cheek?" This line powerfully captures the friction between the ideal of Christ's teaching to "turn to them the other cheek also" (Matthew 5:39) and the natural inclination for self-preservation or retaliation, an impulse cautioned against in Romans 12:19, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath."
The central request, the very heartbeat of the song, then emerges: "Make me kind / Kind like you / And in time / I could too / Learn to forgive / Like you've forgiven me / Help my heart love them tenderly." This isn't merely a request for behavioral modification; it's a cry for a complete internal overhaul, recognizing that true kindness and forgiveness are not products of sheer willpower but divine intervention. To be "Kind like you" is to aspire to the very character of Christ, as Philippians 2:5 encourages, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." The plea to "Learn to forgive / Like you've forgiven me" underscores the profound truth that our capacity to extend grace to others is directly linked to our understanding and acceptance of the immense forgiveness we ourselves have received through Christ, a principle Jesus taught clearly in the parable of the unmerciful servant and in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." The desire for God to "Help my heart love them tenderly" speaks to the transformation of the inner person, aligning with the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, kindness, and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23), indicating that this love is God-breathed and poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
The song then pivots to reflect on Jesus's perfect embodiment of these virtues, even in the face of ultimate injustice: "Oh you were kind / Kind to everyone / Forgiving them / You never threw a stone." This evokes the profound scene in John 8, where Jesus disarmed the accusers of a woman caught in adultery with the challenge, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). The lyrics further press into Christ's suffering: "What about the times you were betrayed / What about when you hung upon a tree." Here, the song reaches its emotional and theological climax, contrasting our struggles with His ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, betrayed and crucified, offered forgiveness from the cross, praying, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). His response to suffering was not retaliation but entrustment to God, as described in 1 Peter 2:23: "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." This example serves as both conviction and inspiration, demonstrating the impossible made possible through divine love.
The repetition of the chorus and the closing refrain, "Tenderly oh tenderly / Oh help me love the way You love me," amplify the earnest longing for deep, enduring transformation. It's a recognition that Christian kindness and forgiveness are not merely actions but a posture of the heart, birthed from God's own nature. This tender love, a hallmark of God's character (1 John 4:7-8), is what the human heart ultimately yearns to express. "Kind Like You" stands as a powerful anthem for anyone wrestling with bitterness, resentment, or the difficulty of extending grace. It's an invitation to humbly acknowledge our limitations and to persistently cry out to the One who is perfectly kind, trusting Him to cultivate His own character within us. The song is a beautiful testament to the truth that becoming "kind like You" is a journey of surrender, dependence, and ongoing prayer, made possible only by the transformative power of divine love.