Seriously.
And the worst part is, most of the time people get mad and nasty about things that don't matter. I'm guilty to, I totally am, but really, are you going to care in 3 years that we changed the way we do Bingo cards? (Or honestly, are you going to care in 1 week?)
I guess I need to add Luke 6:27-36 to the list of things I have not yet mastered. I've gotten a lot better. 19 year old me would tear the heads off some of these people, but even the fact that I let it continue to bother me and talk about it afterwards means I can do better.
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
1 comment:
Being nice IS really hard. Caring about other people's input is even harder. Even if we don't have a desperate need to "be liked" or serve everyone happily, it's hard to take other people's harsh criticism. It always makes me wonder whether my friends perceive me in the way the antagonist of the moment does.
In all honesty, sometimes an outside pair of eyes is useful for us to make self-evaluations...but most of the time, the outside eyes just want to make things 1.) nicer/easier for themselves or 2.) enjoy exercising just a little bit of control over SOMETHING in their lives. So I do what my mom told me to do: be a duck. Examine the person's input. If it's useful for self-correction, use it. If not, let it roll right on off your back like water does a duck's. Besides, who wouldn't want to be one of the few animals that can walk, swim, AND fly? :)
Post a Comment