Be Patient With Difficult People

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 So I was thinking yesterday. Shocker I know.


I was thinking about how I never run out of things to talk about each day. That gives me a chuckle, because since elementary school, just about every teacher would write on my report card something like, “Christina is a good student, but has trouble not talking to her neighbors.”


Ha!


There was also usually at least one teacher every year, I would have an issue with. Part of the problem was, I was quite observant as well as introspective, so I always had “thoughts.” 


Sometimes I recognized when a teacher was not being “fair” in any given situation, whether it had to do with me or even another student. So I would (respectfully of course) share my thoughts and feelings about said situation.


Generally speaking, those thoughts were not appreciated, and it would create, well...problems. Sometimes I would need to bring those things to the attention of my parents.


My mom was usually the one to handle it. She taught me at a very young age, how to address my elders with any grievance I may have against them. She often recognized their biases, or personal issues, but wanted me to learn how to deal with such issues early in life.


So, prompted by my very wise mother, I would approach the teacher and ask, “Is there something I’ve done to offend you?”


Can you imagine a little kid asking an adult such a thing?! 


The teacher was usually caught off guard, to say the least, but it gave them the opportunity to consider what they might be projecting, whether intentional or not. Approaching them respectfully with a question for them to consider, very often diffused the situation.


What would it look like if we approached people we have problems with in that way? What if we gave them the benefit of the doubt, realizing we might be the offender, or there might even be things they are dealing with that have nothing to do with us? How would our conversations change?


“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:24-25‬ 

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