Sunday, September 12, 2004
Let no outstanding debt remain, except for the continuing debt we owe to love one another ~ Romans 13:8
This is partly in response to a recent entry in
Denise’s blog, and partly something that’s just been floating around my head.
There are too many times we blame others for being unappreciative or ungrateful for the things we do for them; too many times we feel resentment because people around us do not respond the way we expect them too. And so the gift of
giving , which is meant to be something that brings joy, turns in on itself, it all comes to nothing. I guess what struck me about the verse was firstly, that we tend to focus much on the debts we perceive are owed to us, and forget about those we might owe to others. There’s really no point in comparing the relative magnitude of each, because I believe we’ve all had our fair share of each.
Still, it is only normal and human to be affected by the actions of those around us – well, normal for most I guess. It’s so easy to slide away from one’s own emotional equilibrium and start on some wild roller coaster spiral if one isn’t careful.
It is also interesting that the people who have the greatest ability to influence our happiness also have the power to make us absolutely miserable.
The way to get through all this emotional messiness without ending up like some people hating cynic is to try remember that, most of the time,
it isn’t intentional . People deal with stuff different ways; they have differing priorities, views, responses, opinions. There is no point getting upset over a non-personal, non-intentional slight because the aim to cause pain was never there to begin with. Furthermore, these things they do may offend our own sensibilities, but very often there is nothing
inherently wrong about them. There is also no point in trying to manipulate or persuade people to agree with our own views or perceptions. They are as much individuals as you and I are, and we must learn to accept them as such instead of demanding conformity to our own expectations.
Give me the strength to love freely and unconditionally, not only with reference to those close to me, who give me reason to love them and who love me in return, but also to anybody in general whom i can call my neighbour. That is the true spirit of giving, one which many of us have forgotten, and which i hope i can learn again.
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