1 Peter 3:9
Don't be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God's chosen ones, and he will bless you.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have to admit, I really struggle with this sometimes. Our human nature tells us to “fight fire with fire.” And while even the most patient, reserved person reaches his/her limit at one time or another, for some of us, the “fuse” is often pretty short. Don’t we all know someone who “tells it like it is” with seemingly little or no regard for the other person’s feelings? Are we that person?
Many years ago, I was doing contract publishing work for several area businesses. One morning, I had a company newsletter to deliver, and the manager to whom I reported greeted me with a smile and received the package of newsletters. He was always very kind and complimentary toward me, and this morning, his parting words were, “I hope you have a nice day.”
What this man could not possibly have known was that my grandfather had died the previous afternoon. Now, I could have made him feel horrible and offered some retort about how “nice” my day would be. But I knew that he had no idea about what was happening in my life, and he was offering a kind, pleasant send-off to me … and I appreciated his gesture for what it was.
But I also have never forgotten this incident, because I learned a valuable lesson from it. See, we never truly know what is happening with someone else. So we make a lot of assumptions and are quick to judge. And the person who seems hateful or insulting may very well be having the worst day ever. On the other hand, this person may be generally miserable pretty much every day. It really doesn’t matter. Our job, as Christians, is to be kind no matter what. Tall order? Absolutely! Hard to do? You bet!
Conversely, when we brush by people and ask casually, “How are you?” without really caring about the response, the person may reply, “I’m fine,” when the truth is something entirely different. A dear friend of mine who was battling cancer used to always tell me, “I’m fine.” I would say, “This is me (a close friend since childhood) you are talking to … how are you really?” and she would then tell me what was happening with her treatments and her life in general.
The point is that we don’t always take the other guy into consideration. We “judge the book by its cover,” and we miss a chance to truly share the love of Christ. We fail to act in a manner that represents our stature as God’s chosen ones … disciples of Christ. We are hateful and insulting – or uncaring. At the very least, we are insincere.
Our goal should be to always be genuine and kind. Think of Jesus. Was He hateful and insulting? If anyone had reason to be, it was He! But that was not the example we were given … so why do we think it’s okay now? Take the time to really look at people and listen. Tune in to what is really happening with them, and be as sensitive as you possibly can. Show kindness and sincerity, and try your hardest never to “act a fool!” Remember Who chose you … and act in a way that says, “He chose well!”
©2010 Debbie Robus
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