It’s easy to get frustrated by people, who are taking their anger out on you or someone you know. We can get easily offended and respond in kind. It can take a lot of inner strength to step back from our emotions and view things in a different light. To not take on the feelings that are being directed at us and then pass them on to someone else.
Often times we will take home all the verbal and emotional garbage that has been poured out on us during the day. We find ourselves unable to leave it at the door and end up taking it out on those around us – to whom it doesn’t belong either. Then you may hear someone who is trying to be helpful telling you to “turn the other cheek” – as if it is a physical action we need to take. Yet, in this day and age where people feel the need to say and do whatever they think or feel at the moment, turning the other cheek takes on a different perspective.
Look at it like this; when someone dumps their emotional junk on you, instead of taking it home or passing it along to someone else, we need to allow it to drop where it is. We take the bombardment with the love of Christ. We understand that their emotions aren’t directed at us personally but instead allow them to use us as a sounding board. To vent. Whether we deserve it or not. Whether we want it or not. We allow it in the hopes that they will leave it with us and not pass it along to someone else. Then we give it over to Christ; where we leave all our anxieties and burdens.
In a perfect world this would be easy. In practice it isn’t. It is tough to not allow those negative feelings to overcome us. To take them on and then pass them along. To want to make someone else feel the way we are. It takes understanding and learning; growing the fruits of the spirit in our lives. Things that are often very tough to master on their own let alone when someone is directing anger toward you.
You aren’t alone. We all want to respond in kind at times. It takes a lot of spiritual growing on our parts to be able to let these kind of things not affect us. It doesn’t happen over night. You might do it once and then the next time you might not be able to. Remember that we are to be a light in the darkness. If you want to touch someone else life, be the light you want to see in others. Be the example of shining brightly. Strive to learn to let it go.
Prayer
Lord,
We thank you for this day and the opportunity to be the light we want to see in others. We thank you that we can cast our cares and worries on you. That we can lay our burdens at your feet. That you will give us the strength to move forward and grow in Your grace and love. We thank you for helping us to realize that this doesn’t happen over night. That it is a continual process.
Help us to not be hard on ourselves when we fail. Help us to see the lesson that each opportunity provides to us. Help us to learn to let go so that we can grow and bear our spiritual fruits. So that we can be the person you would have us to be. Help us to know when it is time to be still. Help us to not pass along our anger and frustration to others.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen