Holding a grudge does no one any good. A grudge affects everyone involved negatively, and the longer it's held the more damage it causes. The good news, however, is that it's never to late to set things straight.
It may not seem so at times, but most people don't want to go through life hurting others. Grudges are often the results of misunderstandings. It's such a waste when people are alienated from each other for months or years, all over some misunderstanding that could have been sorted out much quicker. if even one of the parties had shown a bit more love and understanding.
It takes a big person to be humble enough to be the first to let go of a grudge. Humble yourself before God, first of all, and ask Him to remove the cancer by bringing you to the point of truly forgiving the other person in your heart. Do this and He will not only answer your prayer, but also give you the grace needed to humble yourself and ask that person to forgive you for harboring animosity.
When you show love and consideration to people you don't feel particularly drawn to or think deserve it. you're giving them God's love, which goes beyond human love. In fact, this is an even greater manifestation of Gods love than when you show love to someone you feel close to. This is not being hypocritical or false. To the contrary, it's fulfilling His Commandments to love your neighbor as yourself. you're acting on His Word, and you're letting His love move you to do something good.
Even though you may not particularly like someone, that shouldn't hold you back from loving that person with His love. No one is too bad for him or beyond the reach of his love, and God want you to help convey that to others. Even though you may feel that way about them, He does. By showing them love and understanding, you're giving them His true love.
When you can show loving kindness without partiality, you become better channel for Gods love to follow through.
Not only will He bless the ones you show love and consideration to, but He will also bless you. As you continue to give His love, no matter how you feel, love will come back to you. you'll also have a feeling of fulfillment in being Gods messenger of love and in doing His will. By giving love freely, you'll reap more of Gods love and the fruits of love.
The humble person may not end up on top of the social ladder, but he is more likely to have a truly successful life because he is more likely to succeed in things that matter most. He is a quiet force for good, and is always rewarded by our creator. He also wins the love and respect of others because his humble spirit conveys his love and respect for them. They see him putting their happiness before his own, and that makes them want to do th same.
Humility runs contrary to human nature. It is the nature of man to try to appear to be more than he really is by boasting of his personal attributes, abilities, and achievements. He hopes to make himself feel better about himself and to win the respect of others, but it seldom turns out that way. He may feel better about himself for the moment, but PRIDE drives others away.
As a proverb states, "Pride comes before a fall"(Proverbs 16:1. The proud live in fear of falling, of being exposed and humiliated. But the humble have nothing to fear because they have nowhere to fall-they are already lowly in their own eyes.
The humble are always welcome in God's kingdom. They are His companion and friends. And when they join Him in heaven, they will feel right at home and fit right in. heaven was made for people like them
Love has creative power, and in the home love does magic by engendering unselfish acts and helping each family member see others in a positive light. Everyone wants to be understood, accepted, and loved for who he or she is, and the home is a God-created environment where these things can thrive.
There are also things that work against love in the home-enemies of love, if you will. Disagreements between children and parents and sibling rivalries are a couple of the obvious ones, but there other problems that are more subtle and therefore even more dangerous-selfishness, laziness, indifference, criticalness, nagging, taking each other for granted, and thinking and talking negatively about one another, to name a few. These usually begin with small, seemingly innocent incidents-finding excuses to not help out, squabbles over petty issues, little putdowns and sarcastic remarks- but unless you recognize these attacks on your family's love and unity, they will develop into bad habits that will take a terrible toll on your family.
It's not enough to simply save the moment by sending the feuding parties to their separate corners, silencing the sarcastic, or pressing the shrinker into service. That's dealing with the symptoms, not the root problem, which is lack of love. The only thing that will cure a lack of love is to love itself, so ask God to bring more love into your home, and then work with HIM on it. If you ask HIM to give each of you a genuine respect and appreciation for the others, He will put that kind of love in your hearts, but then it's up to you to cultivate that love through loving thoughts, words, and actions.
Life is a series of judgment calls, big and small. "Is my colleague telling me the truth?" "Can I believe this advertiser's claims?" Nearly every day you have to pass judgment on some situation, and your opinions and decisions often have consequences for the other people involved. The stakes may not be as high or the judgment as final, but like a magistrate in the judicial system, your judgment matters.
God once said to his critics, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). What is righteous judgment? It is judging fairly and honestly, applying the right rule to that particular situation and sometimes looking beyond the "facts" to see the hearts and true intentions of those involved.
Before passing judgment it's important to remain impartial and get all sides of the story. The better informed you are, the better chance you will have of judging correctly.
And of course it's always wise, even in seemingly small matters, to talk it over before passing on judgment. Remember, that God is the great all -seeing, all-knowing judge who will judge the world at the end of days.
Too many people always think they have something better to say than the person they are talking with-or should I say, talking at.
Interrupting others is a symptom of the growing discourtesy in today's world. People are becoming increasingly self-centered, and interrupting is one of the most common manifestations. Nearly everyone thinks what he or she has to say in all-important and all-wise. If people could only hear themselves sometimes, I think most of them would be ashamed!
But you can be an agent of change. You can be a "non-interrupter." You will win the admiration and appreciation of just about everyone you talk with if you can manage to go through the conversation without interrupting. You will also be more likely to learn something and avoid misunderstandings.
"He who answers before listening-that is his folly and shame" (Proverbs 18:13 NIV). This is often the fate of those who constantly interrupt- they jump to the wrong conclusions and thereby show themselves foolish, rather than wise. The wise show their wisdom by listening before speaking.
Life is a series of judgment calls, big and small. "Is my colleague telling me the truth?" "Can I believe this advertiser's claims?" Nearly every day you have to pass judgment on some situation, and your opinions and decisions often have consequences for the other people involved. The stakes may not be as high or the judgment as final, but like a magistrate in the judicial system, your judgment matters.
God once said to his critics, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). What is righteous judgment? It is judging fairly and honestly, applying the right rule to that particular situation and sometimes looking beyond the "facts" to see the hearts and true intentions of those involved.
Before passing judgment it's important to remain impartial and get all sides of the story. The better informed you are, the better chance you will have of judging correctly.
And of course it's always wise, even in seemingly small matters, to talk it over before passing on judgment. Remember, that God is the great all -seeing, all-knowing judge who will judge the world at the end of days.
I said long ago, "Greater love has no one than things, than to lay down ones's life for his friends" (John 15:13), You probably think of this in terms of the ultimate sacrifice-actually dying to save another- and that truly is the ultimate act of love. But other opportunities come along almost daily for you to "lay down life" in the sense of giving up personal desires or happiness for someone else's sake.
Give yourself at every opportunity, in every way, wherever and whenever possible. Give a reassuring look and a warm smile. Provide a listening ear. Lend a helping hand. Do a kind deed. Say a silent prayer. Speak an encouraging word. Go out of your way to help another. Stoop to lift a brother when he falls. Give Gods LOVE.
Give when its difficult. Give till it hurts. Give of your time. Give freely, expecting nothing in return. Show patience to those who feel frustrated, compassion to those who are in need of understanding. Give if a hug to those who need comfort. Be Gods arms, be his hands, be his mouth, that HE may love another through you.
Love without partiality. Love the unlovely. Let your love for others override their faults and shortcomings, always believe the best about them, and never lose hope for them. Love always and in all ways, that others may also come to know Gods great love for them.
"Give, and it will be given to you: For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:3.
"I'm sorry" can put an end to almost any argument or other problem between people. You may still feel somewhat justified in your position, but if you can at least say you're sorry for having gotten into an argument and having let whatever it was come between you, you'll be on th path to reconciliation. Being quick to apologize is one of the smartest things you can do.
Saying you are sorry isn't always easy. It takes a strong, concerned person to be able to admit being wrong, yet many people consider this a sign of weakness. I'm not talking about having an excuse-me-for a living attitude, where you apologize for everything that you do. That is a sign of weak character. But when you get into an argument or make a mistake and have the sense to recognize and admit that you were wrong and apologize,that's a sign of strength as the Bible say.
There is, however, one word that takes the healing magic out of "I'm sorry." When you add "but," it means you're intent on pressing your point until the other person sees things your way. That's not the way to overcome differences! Saying "I'm sorry" requires humility, but if you can say it and mean it, it works magic!
. The proud live in fear of falling, of being exposed and humiliated. But the humble have nothing to fear because they have nowhere to fall-they are already lowly in their own eyes.
