My Midwest residence resembles Mayberry. The town square is paved in stone. A barber shop occupies one of the spaces on the main street. My brother-in-law is one of the deputies for the sheriff's department. There are even a few red-headed kids who look like Opie. One thing missing is mean people. Maybe it's because there are no traffic jams here or because the unemployment rate is hovering around 5%. Every now and then a mean person with out-of-state plates wanders in to our quaint little town and unravels a few feathers. Here are three ideas to help you deal with mean people:
- Mean people spray "people repellant" on before they leave their homes. Remember the scene from The Proposal where Sandra Bullock is marching through her office? One of her assistants instant messages his co-workers... the witch is on her broom. Everyone goes into hiding while she storms through. You need to do the opposite when a mean person shows up. Get in their space. Find out why they're mad. Show empathy. If you can uncover the source of their misery, you can help them calm down.
- Pray for mean people. You may be the only person in this world doing this. They need your love. Maybe they're caring for a parent who is dying or they're struggling with an addiction. Pray their suffering ends.
- Accept them for who they are. Most people have no idea what kind of suffering mean people go through. Often they are bullied as children. They were abused by family members or mean bosses. They were never appreciated. Just remember this: they are part of God's family. They have an inheritance to claim. Show them kindness.
Please share your favorite tips for dealing with mean people in the comments section below.
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