I remember sitting in her office like it was yesterday.
She owned a little quick-stop gas station, and was a favorite client of mine; and her office was a mess! Not because she was messy, but because she was busy.
And there on her wall, in the midst of all that mayhem, was a little saying that always made me laugh. It said this:
“Stress: The confusion created when your mind overrides your body’s desire to choke some jerk who desperately deserves it.”
It’s funny, and we’ve all been in those situations.
I remember one time doing business with a guy, and we had a deal. I didn’t know it, but the man I was dealing with actually didn’t have the final authority. When the man who did have the final authority heard about it, he called me up and chewed me out, even called me “underhanded,” like I should have known who all had what authority in that company.
Well what would you do in that situation?
I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I apologized profusely, said I sure didn’t do it on purpose, said there was certainly nothing underhanded as he accused, but that it would never happen again, and that I was sorry.
When I hung up the phone, a girl in the office who had overheard the conversation said, “That guy’s a jerk. I’ll never go there again.”
And that’s our natural response, isn’t it? When we feel like someone’s been a jerk, our natural tendency is to choke them, if not physically, then at least economically.
Funny how that sounds so correct. But Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” I say this, “Don’t be small.”
I like biographies. I like learning about life by reading about the lives of others. Currently I am reading a biography of Bill Belichick. He is the head coach of the 3-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. In that book is the story about a guy from ESPN who offended Belichick. Then it said that the coach is the kind to “never forget” such an offence, and that he even held it against other people from ESPN. “If it’s true,” I thought, “How small.”
When someone offends you, don’t be small. Forgive them! Sure, you could be a jerk, but you’re bigger than that. You have heard of things getting “stuck in your craw.” I don’t think this should happen. Forgiveness and love are like a clean sweep of your craw. Nothing gets stuck there because love and forgiveness keep it clean.
I remember one time I wanted to network with some other radio people, to get their input. I sent out a few e-mails, and I got one back from a guy who raked me over the coals for e-mailing him. He wanted to know where I had “harvested” his e-mail address. He said he didn’t want to be bothered by my “junk.” Wow! Go back to my definition of stress.
See, our human nature in such a case wants to lash back. For me, it takes a minute to process things. I remind myself, “Forgive immediately. Don’t let anything get stuck in your craw.”
And remember this, you may dwell on things, but these crabby people? They have forget all about it! They quickly find new people to be crabby to. So why poison yourself with stress and unforgiveness, and even thoughts of how to make them pay?
Forgettaboutit!
Let these three little words remind you: Don’t be small.
(As heard on Wave 94.1 FM)
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