I have been very prayerful to find peace, understanding and compassion in my heart. I've been facing a very big challenge for which God has been ever present and reminding me, not to sound cliche but "What would Jesus do"? Ironically when we pause before reacting, and ask ourselves this very question, it is amazing how differently the situation unfolds.
I have a thing I say to myself when people begin arguing about something ~ "I do not have to attend every argument I am invited to" I have also taught my kids this and I've shared it with my husband. It is much along the same lines.
When someone does something which insinuates they would like to go to battle with me, I tend to pause and step back, not put on my gloves and move forward. Not because I'm scared or afraid, but because I know in my heart Jesus doesn't want me engaging in arguments. He doesn't want me saying hurtful things to others and I understand this. When people behave in such a manner, when they are rude, mean, hurtful & arguing, 99.9% of the time it actually has absolutely nothing to do with me! Many times when people behave this way, it is a "them thing" not a "You thing". Unfortunately you are the target. People must release feelings when they are angry and frustrated ~ if you don't have a relationship with Jesus, I suspect those feelings come to a boiling point at which one explodes.
In Colossians we read this:
12 God has chosen you. You are holy and loved by Him. Because of this, your new life should be full of loving-pity. You should be kind to others and have no pride. Be gentle and be willing to wait for others. Colossians 3:12
To me this shares the message, we are to be patient with one another. To wait on one another, to not be prideful and we should love. We are holy and we are loved by Jesus. WE are holy because we BELONG to Jesus so when we pause and ask What Would Jesus Do... we aren't so far off, it's not so cliche!
In our society today, many people are faced with mental illness. Their behaviors are uncertain and sometimes very scary. It is not easy to understand how or why people behave the way they do. When we come in contact with people who suffer such illnesses (in my job, unfortunately it is more often than others) we must open our hearts with understanding and our ears with patience, we must embrace the fact they are sincerely not "in their right mind" and we must approach with compassion and understanding. Just because someone reacts to a situation differently and maybe in a way we wouldn't, doesn't make them any less worthy of grace or compassion. In these instances I'm very confident it is when Jesus is asking us to give MORE GRACE and show MORE COMPASSION.
Dear Lord let us be mindful today of those who are hurting, who don't understand their feelings and who react in such a way we do not always understand. Dear Lord we ask for ears to open to those who need us by listening with understand, for arms to embrace with grace and hearts to show the compassion you placed in us to share. Let us be mindful we are all fighting a battle and some of us have not yet found the armor of Jesus. Let us be lights into the world of how glorious and wonderful you are Lord and may we touch a life by being GRACE FILLED & FULL OF COMPASSION! We ask you bless us on our journey, Thank you Jesus for you never ending Grace for which you give to us!