When I hung up the phone or should I say slammed down the phone, I just wanted to scream out loud. Not again! How can she be so rude? How can she be so uncaring? The she was my mom...A part of me knew that I should turn the other cheek, take a deep breath and extend the grace that Christ has given me. I must be honest giving grace was the farthest thing from my mind at the moment. I had done nothing to evoke her behavior, in fact this was how our conversations usually went. I just gotten to the point in my life where I had enough of people treating me this way. My mom was just the tipping point. I was getting tired of being nice and giving trust to people who in return would stomp on my emotions. Then I realized that I was letting what other people though of me get to me. I was not letting what God thought of me remind me of how important I really am. Then I heard the story of the women at the well. How Jesus met a woman at the well and offered her living water. He looked past all her faults and saw the beauty and worth that she was capable of. This story hit me in a different way that it had in the past. It helped me have a new love for the people around me. Now when I am on the phone with my mom, I just listen to what she has to say. I try look past the harsh words and the sarcasm. I try to see the hurt that she is living with on a daily basis. I try to see her as God sees her...wonderfully and beautifully made...in His image. When someone is rude to me I try not to take it personal, I turn it to God and say a small prayer for them. This is not always an easy task. I don't always turn my cheek and extend the grace I should. I have always heard the term ask Jesus to meet you at the cross...what if we took it a step farther or before the cross? what if we meet people at the well? It does not matter what a person is like or what their life is about. We should be prepared to offer up the truth of the cross, which in sense is meeting them at the well and telling them about how they can receive living water which leads them to the cross. Look past their faults, fears, and judgement they may be showing you. It says in God's word to take the log out of your own eye before pointing out the splinter in an others eye. (Matt 7:3) You can also ask God to show you people who are hurting and a way to help them. If you ever get nervous like I do when talking to someone you don't know about Jesus. Take a deep breath and ask for His words not yours. He will make it happen in a way that shows His truth and the peace He has to bring. Just my 2cents, Missie
Then Jesus made a bold promise: "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst" (John 4:14).
