I wonder how much grief we'd miss if we truly tried to see things from other people's perspectives.
Our natural tendency is to magnify negatives, misunderstand motives, and ignore extenuating circumstances.
It's helpful to remember there are three basic types of people in our lives:
1. Prickly People, who are genuinely hard to get along with because they're basically selfish.
2. Normal people, who struggle between selfishness and goodness.
3. Abnormally nice people, who are less selfish than normal.
Most of us fall into category #2, and we'd be so much better off if we'd:
1. Give others the benefit of the doubt (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
2. Give others grace and forgiveness when they're selfish (Ephesians 4:32).
3. Acknowledge our sins and repent when we're selfish (1 John 1:9).
And we'll do these things if we follow the Golden Rule of Scripture:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12
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This must be confirmation, My morning bible study was this very scripture. Treat people the way you want to be treated, let God handle the rest. It's not how people treat us, it's how we respond . That's what God sees. Amen
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