Many believe that being a good Christian is all about going to church. That is a good start, but there is a lot more to it than that. Being a good Christian is more about stepping out of one's own ego and trying to understand how another person feels. Thinking about that before you do something that would hurt their feelings helps us to understand how your actions impact someone else's mind and life.
Although we all know about the Golden Rule, often we forget to apply it to our daily lives. But how can we do that with so many responsibilities? Sometimes we all feel as if there is too much to do and too little time in which to get it all done. Often we expect too much in the way of daily performance from ourselves that we forget about what is really important.
How many times have you had someone you care about say something that made you sad and feel hurt? What was your first reaction? Often that first reaction is to lash out at them and hurt them back, but by taking just one second to stop and understand we can regain our balance. Take a moment to consider the Proverb that instructs us to use understanding with those we think are mean, for many times they are really only sad. Many times when we are hurt by someone's mean actions and hurtful words, we react with anger.
Instead of hurting them back, simply tell them that they have hurt you. I have used this approach many times and have had a high success rate in diffusing the situation and helping the other person understand what is really bothering them.
By letting things go we can often save ourselves a lot of emotional upheaval of our own. Next time someone is insensitive, forgive them. It will do both of you a lot of good.
