A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)
Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)
I recently read the following story that I had to share. I believe the author to be unknown…
An elderly woman got on a bus and sat down. At the next stop, a strong, grumpy young woman climbed up and sat down sharply beside the old woman, hitting her with her numerous bags. When she saw that the elderly woman remained silent, the young woman asked her why she had not complained when she hit her with her bags. The elderly woman replied with a smile: ′′ There is no need to be rude or discuss something so insignificant, as my trip next to you is so short because I am going to get off at the next stop.”
What struck me is the simple truth of this life lesson…life is truly short and we need to learn to not allow small incidents to derail us. We all have various struggles from time to time, throughout our lives. But, when we take a step back and look at life, and the various situations that we all go through, we realize everyone is just trying to do their best in life. Of course, we do know and realize some are trying a little more than others to do their best. However, in the long run, it’s up to each of us to mature and do the work necessary to become an emotionally intelligent person; a person that responds as the older woman did in the story.
With emotionally intelligent adults, when someone bumps into them for example, they may say something different than the woman in the story but, they will have the same reaction to the situation. They will not allow a trivial incident to derail them from moving forward, and onward with their life. When we work on ourselves, grow, and learn to forgive, we will be able to move forward, and not remain stuck in life due to what happened to us. Now, depending on what was done to us, there may be consequences for the person who did wrong. But ultimately, you don’t want to become stuck in a rut of anger, hurt, bitterness, etc. You do not want to find yourselves wasting the precious time given, planning revenge or seeking to lash out at the person who caused you harm.
We must come to the conclusion that we can only control ourselves and not our children, spouses, other family members, friends, etc. When we grow in emotional maturity, we will develop better control of ourselves, and have a better understanding as we encounter others. By focusing on our emotional well-being, we are preparing to live life moving forward, despite any situation we come across. It will not always be easy. There will be those in life who will push and seek to upset you. However, by working on yourself now, you are preparing for the various life scenarios that will come upon you.
Learn to let it go…and move on!!
Blessings,
Angélique
To contact: Angelique@21stcenturygodlyliving.com
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