When I was eight years old I was pretty small.

I was fairly little for my age and wasn't the toughest of kids. Normally, this wasn't a big deal or a hindrance of any kind -- except when it came to the pool.

The diving board was always a favorite pass time, and I would spend hours jumping and diving and attempting to conquer my fear of the high dive. I was always very confident in my jumping and diving abilities and loved showing them off to my friends and my mom, who sat only a few chairs away, until a girl a few years older came up to me and began taunting me about how little I was and how easy my "tricks" looked.

I immediately felt hurt and defeated.

I tried to ignore her, but it only got worse. I couldn't understand why this girl I had never met before felt such hatred towards me, especially when I had never done anything to her.

Doing what I always do when I have no idea what to do -- I ran to my mom. I told her all about the girl and how I needed to come up with a good comeback to say to her since my silence seemed to be unsuccessful in getting her to leave me alone.

"Mal," my mom said, "tell her you like her swimsuit."

"What?"

"Tell her you like her swimsuit."

"Why would I do that?" I said, "She's been nothing but mean to me, why should I be nice to her? Plus, there is no way that will make her stop."

"Just try it, it's better than what you're doing now, isn't it?"

Even though I was still confused and didn't understand my mom's logic whatsoever, I knew it was worth a shot and decided to give it a try.

I walked straight up to get in line for the high dive, tapped the girl on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I really like your swimsuit!"

To my surprise, she said, "Oh, thanks. I like your's too!" with a smile.

And guess what?

She left me alone.

Actually, she started to ask if I could show her how to do some of the tricks I did off the diving board and if I wanted to play with her and her friends.

You see, what my mom understood that I didn't at the time was that the only way to fight evil is with kindness.

Boy, it sure as hell isn't easy -- but it's worth it.

This world isn't always kind to us, and not everyone you meet is going to treat you with the respect and kindness you deserve, and, unfortunately, you don't get to choose that. What you do get to choose, however, is how you react to it.

Sure, it's easy to spit out something nasty the minute someone does the same to you. It's easy to feel that deep desire for revenge if someone has wronged you. And it sure is easy to spew negative words when someone may not have the same views or opinions as you and the conversation is getting pretty heated.

What isn't easy is to be the bigger person -- but it is what is right.

God calls us to be kind to everyone in the way we would want them to be kind to us, even those who may not necessarily believe so:

Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:31

Not only will fighting back with kindness rather than more anger make the situation better, but it will also provide you with no regrets. No regretful words were spoken out of anger, no reason for that person to have anything against you and no reason for you to feel like you sunk to their level.

The next time you find yourself in a situation where all you want to do is fire back, take a moment and decide what that'll do.

Will it make things better or only cause more issues?

Will I be showing this person the kindness God calls us to show or not?

Sometimes it's easier in some situations compared to others, but I know the times where I have chosen kindness over retaliation I have come out far more successful and happier than I would've been had I chosen the latter.

So, take a deep breath, suck back your pride and give her an honest response that's rooted in kindness.

If you have no idea what to say... my advice? Try telling her you like her swimsuit.