Responses

     Have you ever had to bite your tongue off to keep from responding the wrong way to someone’s hatefulness? Do you ever get jealous at some peoples freedom to act anyway they choose and everyone just say, “Oh, that is just how they are?”
     I experienced those feelings the other day. Within 30 minutes two good friends of mine decided to take out their anger and frustrations on me. One friend just snubbed me in front of another friend and the other one exploded at the person I was with but somehow directed her rage at me. I tried in both cases to make it right, but the one who snub me didn’t have her phone and the other one wasn’t going to hear of it. I have to tell you that I am not the personality type to just give people time. I want to fix it and make up as soon as possible. However, I am learning to not push and give people time to let the Lord deal with their hearts. Within the day the first friend apologized. I had to wait three long days for the second one to apologize but it was worth to know that I did not push the apology and she gave it on her own accord.
      It took a lot of prayer and trust in the Lords ability to speak to my friend’s heart. After I did not receive the apology the next day, my flesh wanted to tell her off and demand her to be sorrowful. The flesh always takes us down the wrong path, so I am very pleased that I did not listen to it. I do not always stifle my flesh but it is something I am working very hard to to habitually achieve. I would like to be more in control of my fleshly responses before I am 50 years old. It is time I have more control over it than it has over me!

Don’t be hateful to people just because they are hateful to you.

Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else.

1 Thessalonians 5:15