Mean People

      Seems I encounter more than my fair share of mean people in my daily life.  What's the deal with that?  For the life of me, I just can't get into the mind of mean people.  I can be walking around minding my own business and someone will walk in and say something cutting and rude.  This has been one of those weeks  It sometimes feels like I have a target on my back. I've never understood why people wouldn't want to be kind to those around them.

     But mean people are here to stay.  And God created them and loves them just as much as He loves you and me.  And I'm supposed to love them too.  What needs to change is my reaction to those mean people.  What's a Christian response to meanness?  I know the first thoughts I have when I am deeply offended are often not Christian at all.  In fact, this week I thought of all the smart comebacks I could have said.  I even thought about egging a couple of cars and maybe toilet-papering a yard or two.  Yep.  I did.  But the old me is gone.  It doesn't take long for me to call on God and ask for His help.  I ultimately want to do it His way.

     We know that Jesus experienced meanness in the worst of all ways.  He was mocked, scorned and belittled.  People didn't like Him and didn't understand Him.  But I've found that Jesus, of course, reacted perfectly to the meanness around Him.  He reacted with grace and truth.  He didn't hold back from telling His enemies the truth...ever.  If people absolutely refused to listen, Jesus actually moved on.  He had little patience for continued meanness and knew the foolishness in their hearts.  Some people will hear the truth, others will never hear it.  We sometimes value our security and peace so much that we become enslaved to other people's meanness.  But oftentimes, the people need to understand how their bad behavior is negatively impacting those around them and themselves also.

     We shouldn't withhold the truth just as we should also sprinkle the truth liberally with grace.  The Bible tells us not to tell the truth to others in order to make ourselves look right and the other person look wrong.  Speaking the truth with grace means that we are intent on building up and helping the other person.  We also must have a forgiving spirit and use kindness.  The ability to use truth and grace together takes tremendous inner character and strength.  And I'm not there yet.  But I will get there with His help.  "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8