October 12, 2008 - Some Thoughts

People think differently and have different values and opinions. We need to respect their differences.

One of the reasons people get so livid over people who don't chose their candidate in elections is because of this lack of respect. They are so focused in their mind that they have the right answer, all others are fools and they treat them like so. We won't know which candidate was best until we see what happens in the white house.

People who judge others especially irritate me. They do not see their failings only others and seem to have no concern in hurting others feelings. It is not about deciding if someone should be trusted in your life, it is about condemnation. We are all born the way we are and in cases of disability it is cruel to be mean to someone is different than us. There for but the grace of God do we go.

Sometimes when this happens to us we need to look at the person who is judging or condemning us. Often they have low self esteem and think that they feel better or superior when they make someone else hurt. It is an empty victory as they wind up waking the next day with the same low self esteem and the need to puff themselves up.

When we are hurt we tend to focus on what we did wrong and often, "How could this person treat us like this?" We don't deserve what happened but many times we focus on our pain or our actions.

There are just some people that never going to see our value. There are some that are greedy and nothing we give will ever be enough. There are some that have no heart or ability to understand others. It is so easy to say I would have done it differently but unless they are in your shoes there is no way to second guess you when they did not know all the facts.

Some people just have made their minds up about you. Nothing you do will change it. I have always believed that my life is a witness to my lord, my beliefs and who I am. Many judge what I do as a lack of intelligence when it is actually a great sense of compassion for others who have fell in a pit.

Next time you are crying your heart out about someone who hurts you consider looking at them, their behavior and past actions to others. If they had no respect for the mother and father, they likely will have no respect for anyone.  If their reactions to life is to be vengeful, it should be no surprise how they react and strike out sometimes at people who have not done what they thought.

I know someone who has ruined their life always seeking revenge and having no clue what forgiveness is. It is hard to watch while they struggle to have the perfect life and yet their revenge quests has made a big mess of everything.

Jesus taught about not judging others, forgiveness and love. Many people miss the point and label themselves "Christian" when they have no clue about what Jesus came to teach us.

Our world is a dog eat dog world. Many are on a quest to be better, have more than others, have better lives and families. They sometimes blame others for their lot in life and have no  understanding of charity, love and faith.

Striving to live in a peaceful life can get hard and spending time crying on how we are treated and what has wrongfully happened to us becomes a hard place to get out of.
If we look at the people who hurt us and how they are lacking in compassion, love, trust and understanding somehow we can get beyond the unfairness of the treatment.
One cannot expect compassion from someone who has no compassion. One cannot expect love from someone who knows not love. One can not expect forgiveness from someone who does not forgive others. Too often we expect from others things they are never going to do or give and that leads to frustration.

Consider the source many times is vital in our emotional responses to others. We all tend to forget to do this. Why we expect fairness and kindness from some who seem to not have the capacity is a big mistake. We can hope but should not expect. The only ones we can change is ourselves and sometimes we need to change our responses to hurt and avoid anger and depression.

(This article is based on people in my life, not anyone connected to gather)