Lip Service

It is so easy to say I understand what God wants, and to understand how to do it, but it is so hard to put it into action. I pay lip service to loving God and doing his will, but my actions do not speak as loudly as my words. This past few days, I’ve written about my irritability factor, and about Joel Osteen’s words of wisdom about how to live in joy when those around me are not filled with the same joy. My intentions were so good. At the moment I wrote them, the moment I thought about them, they sounded so simple, so easy to follow.

Life is not that easy. Today, I ran into a situation where I needed to find a reason to walk out of the room because I could hear my tone changing in reaction to someone baiting me. I could feel my irritation rising. This person tosses out comments, and when I react with my own comment, trying to either reassure him that his feelings on an issue are right, or trying to guide him toward a better attitude in some cases, he changes his reason for the comments entirely.

Reverend Osteen said it correctly. It is not my job to change this person. Was leaving the room the coward’s way out? I don’t know. I do know that until I can control myself in these situations, I’d rather do that and avoid tension for the others around me.

Meanwhile, I must pray steadily for the grace and ability to be humble enough to stop thinking it’s necessary to correct this person or to make this person happy. It is obvious this person gets a kick out of arguing. Or, at other times, he needs to feel sorry for himself and feel picked on. I should not oblige him. This is not a criticism, just a fact I must deal with. There was a time when I was so defensive that everything anyone said to me, I took personally and felt picked on. So, I know what this is like. I had to change myself. He has to change himself. Or not. I just need to avoid getting drawn into it.

Heavenly Father, I need your help, your grace, to avoid conflict when it is not necessary, to avoid criticism when it serves no purpose, and avoid trying to change those around me.