What do you do when you hear that someone was hurt by something you did? I heard through some friends that another friend was upset with me. When they told me the reason why, I rolled my eyes and thought, “Seriously? That’s ridiculous! I was trying to help!”
Have you ever had a similar experience? Despite your best intentions, have you ever upset someone else? It’s likely we all have. So as a Christ-follower how do we handle it?
It’s easy to get defensive and express our frustration with the other person. But, in Scripture, God calls us to humble ourselves toward each other. The indignation we might feel is merely pride, which rubs against our relationships and is contrary to grace.
Now, God does not call us to be doormats or to be manipulated. The difference is, when we are humble, we choose to value other people as much as ourselves.
In the situation with my friend, I apologized in front of the group in case I’d done anything to overstep my bounds. Another member of the group said to me privately, “You didn’t have anything to apologize for. She was being overly sensitive.” I nodded. “Maybe so. But she is struggling right now and my relationship with her is more important to me than being right.”
When dealing with the Body of Christ, we have to take the attitude of our Savior Jesus who knew His rights as God, but chose to humble himself to be in right relationship with us.
Lord, guide me in my relationships with others. You said that the world will know we are your followers by the love we show to each other (John 3:35). Help me to set aside my pride and to act in humility. Amen.
Go Deeper — 1 Peter 5:5 says to “clothe” yourselves with humility toward others. Write down the verse on an index card or other paper. Put it near your clothes closet or the place where you get dressed in the morning. Speak the verse out loud as you get dressed to remind yourself to act humbly towards the people you encounter each day.
Learn more from the example of Jesus. Read "5 Steps to Loving Someone You don't really like".