Have you ever been waiting in line and had someone cut in? Have you asked someone a question, only to get your head bitten off? Have you been driving down the road and had a fellow motorist make a slightly less than friendly gesture at you? Did a door get slammed in your house today?
How did this make you feel?
Did you want to retaliate, or did you shrug it off?
The hymn “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” contains these lines:
Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see.
People don’t always mean to lash out at others. Most of the time, they’re dealing with internal hurt and just making it through the day the best they can, and when they speak unkindly or impatiently, it’s not an attack against you, it’s simply a reflection of the stress they are currently dealing with. Maybe that woman who bit your head off just found out that she’s losing her job. Perhaps that man who cut you off on the freeway has a sick child in the backseat and is on his way to the hospital.
Because we can’t read others’ minds, we can’t know their motivations. I can’t just assume that you mean to be unkind – I don’t know your heart. What I can to is give you the benefit of a doubt, just as I hope you’d do for me.
The next time someone snips at you, perhaps you can look for a small way to make their day a little brighter. Be polite. Thank them for their help. Smile when someone cuts you off on the freeway. Offer to help, if it’s a person you know. Your generous response may be the only positive thing that happens to them today. Your forgiving spirit may make all the difference to them.
Related Blogs:
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
How Much Drama Can You Handle?