I can't control how other people treat me. I can't control if they are nice or mean, courteous or rude, thoughtful or selfish, etc. What I can control, is how I respond to those people. Even when they've been mean to me, I can respond with a kind word. When they've been thoughtful and shared uplifting words with me, I can follow that up with a hug. It's much easier said than done when people don't have patience with my flaws to react in a courteous way. But, no matter what my mind tells me, God tells me to respond like Jesus would. I have to choose whether to follow His will or not.
I've been let down a lot in my life, and I'm working to come to terms with that. Most days I don't have a hard time looking past the not-so-kind words of others because I know that I am not perfect either. But, there are days when I'm tired, when I've had all I can take, and I have a hard time letting things go. I wonder why, just this once, it can't be about me. Why can't my good deeds be seen and acknowledged? Why can't the thoughtfulness in my heart shine through just a bit more than everything else in the world? But, the truth is, it's not about me...never has been, never will be. If I am walking this earth doing good deeds, waiting for others to put me on a pedestal, I am not doing good deeds for the right reasons.
God gave me life on this earth, and I owe everything I have to Him. I owe Him my time, my love, my faithfulness, and my soul. I made a decision a long time ago to follow the Lord, but only now am I realizing what that really means and how small I am in the vastness of this world He created. I am nothing without Him, and I must remember that every day of my life. With every morsel of food I put in my mouth, with every step of exercise, with every Bible lesson studied, with every prayer I pray, in every single thing I do, I must remember that I have not been promised anything, and God decides what my future holds. When I take a moment to pause and look at the big picture, there is no doubt in my mind that I should react with every wonderful quality of Jesus no matter what struggle has been set before me.
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6)
