Bless You, Too!
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
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COLUMN: REALITY CHECK
Bless You, Too!
by Stan Mitchell
"A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man
overlooks an insult" (Proverbs 12:16).
A couple of years ago, I had the experience of driving
on a New Jersey turnpike. Let's just say that those
folks need a few of those "Drive Friendly" signs you
see in Texas.
Because I was unsure of the exit I needed (It couldn't
have been my poor driving, right?), I inconvenienced
several good New Jersey drivers (or were they New
Yorkers on their way back home?).
The point of which is to say that I received a number
of exhortations and encouragements from my fellow
highway users. Some rolled their windows down to make
polite inquiries about my ancestry; others used, well,
some form of sign language.
Life is tough, and being insulted is probably
inevitable. Being a church leader seems to place an
automatic target on the back of one's shirt. We're fair
game for disgruntled members, the immature, atheists
and pagans alike!
The question is, have you been a "fool" by the
Proverbs' definition? Some people's temperament is
tinder dry, ready to ignite indignantly at everything
that happens. Like an anti-personnel mine, they are
ready to blow up at the mere touch of a toe on the
trigger.
Don't assume that everything you hear is an insult, and
even if it is, ask yourself if showing your annoyance
is prudent. Solomon says that the "wise" person
"overlooks an insult."
Sometimes the best advice when insulted is to simply
walk away.
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