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I received an SMS from a friend. There seemed to be some urgency in the tone. It was a message you would like to attend to immediately. So I did, as soon as I could; and I am glad I did.
We talked. She 's sweet, she's fierce, she's funny. One moment explaining, the next, crying, then laughing. Oh, she needed someone to talk to and I was there to listen.
But this is not her story. In the midst of all her woes and sobs, I saw myself. I have been there before. The way I saw things then was the way she was seeing them.
For a while, I was Alice. And this is what I saw when I stood in front of the looking glass. Slowly, the pieces all came together. What had changed?
Letting go of pain and anger had cleared my head of clouds of anger, pain, and sorrow.
I am seeing things now from different perspectives.
“Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.” Proverbs 29:11
Anger is a choice. When you get angry, you choose to get angry. Nobody is forcing you to get angry and nobody can make you mad without your permission either.
At different points in our lives, we dealt with people who made us mad, people who disappointed us, people who insisted their way, and people who would not listen.
How do we deal with difficult people? demanding people? disappointing people?
Be tactful. The way you say something determines the way it’s received. If you say something offensively, it’s going to be received defensively. Even if you are right, if you’re rude about it, people are not going to care what you have to say. They’re just going to get defensive.
Be pleasant. The more pleasant you are, the more persuasive you can be.
Be understanding. They may be stressed. They may be sick. They may have a family issue. We do not know what their battles and burdens are.
Be at peace. Pray. You may be fuming mad, yet the other parties might not even have the slightest idea. Pray for yourself and for them, and for world peace. Sleep soundly.
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