Today's Devotional Thought
April 08, 2013 by Rachel Piferi
Loving Mean Girls (and Other Mean People)
This morning, I want to share a blog that I read over the weekend that really spoke to me. I want to share it with you all this morning because I feel it offers some very practical and spiritual ways of dealing with the mean people in our lives.
For years, I have recited the phrase, Hurt people hurt people. As I have dealt with people personally and professionally, I have continually tried to understand where other people were coming and how their backgrounds or their perspectives were guiding their behaviors. Oftentimes, I would see someone hurt me or someone I loved and I would try to analyze why they may have acted like that.
What is in their background that may lead them to have perceived that situation like that?
How did they see the situation in a way that was different than me that may have made them act like that?
What hurts or insecurities or stressors in their life do they have that leads them to lash out like that?
In this blog that I read over the weekend, Lysa TerKeurst writes about doing many of the same things. And she writes about how we can perspective take in situations so that we can extend love and forgiveness to others.
As I read her words I was reminded of the many times that I have been hurt by others and chose to try to understand the other person.
Not so that I could excuse their behavior.
But so that I could hurt less. And so that I could then do when Jesus commands me to do.
Love.
Forgive.
You see, when I am hurting, I am full of emotions. And I have found that when my emotions are flaring, I am less obedient to God. So for me, I have found that perspective taking and understanding why someone may be acting mean helps me lessen the emotions of the situation and helps me obey God. Seeing the hurt in another person or the background that they may be coming from helps me have compassion on them and truly love them.
Helps me love them through the hurt they may be causing me.
I encourage you to read Lysa's blog. And when a mean girl (or mean boy) acts hurtful towards you or someone you love, please remember that we so often hurt others out of our own hurt places. It is not an excuse for bad behavior, but it does help me understand someone else and extend love back to them.
Check out her blog and have a great Monday!
Mean Girls Blog by Lysa TerKeurst
December