My mom taught me A LOT of good things but there are a few that stick with me on the daily. One is “walk light on your feet” because I used to stomp like an elephant when I was little and now I can sneak around like a cat! Another is “pride comes before a fall,” that taught me to be humble in everything because I don’t accomplish anything in my own strength, it’s all thanks to God! And the one I’m thinking about today, “don’t write or say anything about someone that you don’t want to get back to them.”
I’m thankful for my mom and all the wisdom she instilled in us over the years but I feel bad for people who didn’t learn these lessons. There’s someone I know that has something negative to say about most people. I’ve been on the receiving end many times before and it always comes back to me. I always hear what they’ve said about me to my other friends. And when I hear what was said my first response is frustration and anger. “How could they say that? How could they think I won’t hear it?”
But today when I heard the complaints – after I was done being upset – after I asked, “what is the right response?” – I felt bad for them.
This is why:
When you talk “bad” about someone else, it’s less of a reflection on that person and more of a reflection on you. When I hear someone speak negatively, I’m shown who they are. And for someone to speak so poorly about so many people – I realized they must have a lot of deep rooted pain, so much that they can’t even see the positive all around them.
So be encouraged like I was today – it isn’t about you! It’s something on the inside of that person, something that God needs to heal for them. And what’s the right response? Pray. Pray for their heart, for healing, pray for their mind to be transformed, that God will show them how blessed and loved they are and pray that they will feel valued.
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