From the very beginning of last week there was a negativity and heavy feeling in the office. Jessica, Isabella, and I got into a disagreement about how some things were being handled which caused quite a few tears. I got really upset about it all and might have thought into it a bit too much. Through the week there were arguments and contention. I ended up having a talk with Jessica but it didn’t actually clear anything up. In fact, the talk only made things worse! And to top that, Isabella was still upset with Jessica too, so Jessica felt like she was being ganged up on.
At that time, I didn’t feel bad for her because I thought she deserved it. I had even made the conclusion to just keep talking to Jessica but not being as nice or as friendly. I thought this was the best way to handle it but I was wrong.
It wasn’t until the weekend that I started to think logically about this whole situation. One of the things that made me think twice about this whole situation was a new Christian book for teens that I had been reading. It really opened my eyes to what was going on around me. One of the things I realized, was that this was a great opportunity to show God’s light and to show the girls in the office that it isn’t that hard to forgive and move on if you have Jesus in your heart guiding you through it all.
One of the things I started to do, was ask myself if I was acting the way Jesus would or acting the way an unbeliever would if they were in the same situation I was. By the end of this book that I was reading, I had my answer. I needed to shine God’s light through myself as I worked in the office and not act the way Isabella was.
Isabella’s idea for handling this situation was to just be friendly but not too friendly. I soon realized that that’s not what Jesus would want me to do. He would want me to be forgiving and instead of holding a grudge, He would want me to show His love. I need to be the beacon of light instead of following in the ways of Jessica and Isabella (who are still holding a grudge against eachother).
After thinking about how I was going to change the way I acted around Jessica and Isabella, I made a goal for myself. I decided that I’m going to just be myself and show God’s love through my actions along with watching what comes out of my mouth. I know that God, and everyone else around me, wouldn’t appreciate hearing cruel words come out of my mouth. That’s not who I am. I need to show the people in the office that I’m a forgiving and God filled person.
There was another thing I learned from this book, which is totally off the subject of forgiveness. But I guess in a way it has some forgiveness in it. I learned that instead of just going into a relationship because I really like a person, I should pray about it first and see what God has to say about it instead of just going with my instinct.
A couple months ago, my mom made me read the book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” and I didn’t like it. For some people that book might have helped them in making a decision about dating, but for me, I don’t think it is possible not to date. This book, however, changed my view on that. A couple of the main characters in the book decided that before they would become more than friends and start a relationship together, it would be better if they got to know one another and pray about it. They asked God if this was the right thing to do instead of just jumping into a relationship, not knowing where it was going to lead.
One of the characters said that he had been praying since he was eleven years old for God to show him his wife. To me, this is a great way to look at dating. I mean, you date to find your future husband or wife, right? So why not ask God for His guidance instead of thinking you can do it yourself or you’re just “helping God out”? God is big and powerful enough to find you a wife or husband without you having to help Him. I mean, there’s nothing He cannot do.
As a way to grow and help make my goal become a reality, my friend, Anthony, and I have decided that we’re either going to start reading the Bible together or reading it separately and then talk about it when one of us wakes up. Anthony lives in the States, so there’s a big time difference which can be tough at times, but for the most part we make it work :). I’m excited for this new thing we’ve formed and I pray that it will help us both grow. I know that everyone needs someone to talk to about life and God, and sometimes you get embarrassed to talk to your parents about it, so it’s good to have a person in your life who you can tell everything to and not lose respect for that person. I believe spending time in the Word with Anthony will help both of us in what we’re going through in life.
When someone tells a lie or is really rude to you, instead of completely shutting them off, like you think they deserve, maybe they need to be shown love so they can see what godly people are like. If we show kindness to those who might not have been that kind to us, then I think it would show the person that’s being mean, just what type of person you are. Your true colors show when you are faced with a challenge. Don’t hide your light. Let it shine!
As I start this week I want to be the light and show everyone that I’m not a person to hold grudges or act unlike myself just because someone was mean or hurtful. No, instead, I’m going to forgive that person and love them because they are beautifully and wonderfully made. And maybe, just maybe, they will realize that what they’re missing in their life is what I have in mine, and that one thing is Jesus.