Once we too, were foolish and
disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our
lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—When God our
Savior revealed his kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous
things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:3-5 (NLT)
As children, when the eight of us would gather around the dinner
table, it was not uncommon for arguments to erupt. We each upheld our own idea
or ideology, which might not have been acceptable to another family member.
When the debate would become heated, the spectators would point their hands,
with all fingers pointing out, and sing, “Love one another. Love one another.
This is the happy way to love one another.”
Sounds nice, right? Well, it really wasn’t. The song was sung with mean faces and hateful
tones. The only reason all fingers pointing out was because of dad’s saying,
“When you point a finger at someone, there are three pointing back at you.” So
we covered our bases and pointed all five. We certainly didn’t want any
pointing back to ourselves.
People can disappoint, neglect, anger, and hurt us with
their different points of views, making the task to love challenging. There
always seems to be that one difficult person to deal with, in the work place,
neighborhood, or even church.
The following steps can help us in dealing with difficult
people:
First, stand back and stand down. When we stand back, we
gain perspective. When we stand down, we are not giving up, but we control the
argument. Place the encumbrance this difficult person causes, on God’s
shoulders.
Second, remember the kindness God showed to you. We are to,
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Third, ask for God’s love through you.The hardship of conjuring
unobtainable love is out of your hands if you’re willing to be that conduit of
love through Christ.
Fourth, pray for your difficult person. Matthew 5:44 says, “I say to you, love your
enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for
those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
Adopting the motto of that silly song is not a bad idea. The
arduous road of bitter resentment can set the stage of becoming a difficult
person. So opt for the happy approach of life by choosing the roadway of love. As
we point our finger at the other person, we should realize that we have three
fingers pointing back to us.
Our forgiving Savior,
Thank you for the kindness you have shown to us, in that
while we were sinners Christ died for us. Help us to thank you by being
obedient to your word and show kindness to one another.
In Your Name,
Amen
Comments
Post a Comment