A kind and rather wise person once told me that our reactions say as much about our spirit as our actions do. We may strive to offer sweet words, well-meaning advice, a helping hand-- but the real test of the pith of our character is our reactions. When someone throws you an insult, slaps your ego right across its face, or steps on your toes, how you act in that moment says as much about you as anything else. And, let's be honest, stuff is going to make us so angry we could spit. We're wonderfully fallible and imperfect human beings, and anger is a healthy, normal emotion. But the manner in which we act upon that anger may not always be so healthy or gracious.
There have been so many times that I have reacted in anger--and tossed out some words as bitter and tasteless as vinegar. I've seen the pain on other people's faces because of those words. The bad thing about words: once they're free, there's no catching them again. There's just the hoping that you can repair them with more words--butter-soft and sweet ones. And, when sometimes that doesn't work, we often find ourselves wishing we had swallowed the gall of our anger originally.
These thoughts have just weighed heavily on my mind lately: to learn to be good and kind even when doing that seems impossible or pointless. I don't know if that means anything to you, but it does to me.
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