CRAWLING OVER HURT FEELINGS
I get my feelings hurt easily. I'm working on this. I'm not trying to get a "thicker skin" or anything like this. I'm working on forgiving quickly. One trick I've learned in the car is making up a "story" for why someone is driving erratically. For instance, I say "Wow, they probably have diarrhea and have to get to a bathroom." or "they just got a call that their cousin's dog is in labor." When a cell phone rings in church, my husband and I joke that "the kidney transplant just came through" (maybe a brain transplant might be better) Trying to be empathic to the plight of others is helping. However, it is harder in other areas.
For instance, this weekend we sat for a friend's elderly father and her adult brother who is mentally challenged. They are both absolute dolls and we love them like they were our own family. I feel especially in love with her dad who reminds me so much of my Papa who passed away many years ago. I wanted everything to go right while my friend was away so she wouldn't worry. We had a great time playing games, baking, talking and watching movies. Well, things went well until the evening when we were expecting them home. Her father complained of being dizzy and her brother checked his blood pressure. It was through the roof. We immediately gave him his medicine. He quickly seemed to be getting better. A check of his blood pressure confirmed this. However another check later revealed that it was going up again to dangerous levels. We had no explanation for this as he said he felt better. I called my friend for instructions. She asked that we check his blood pressure and if it didn't come down that we should immediately call the on-call nurse to ask if he would come by and see what was wrong. We called the nurse only to receive an accusatory reprimand that we were not medically trained to take a blood pressure check and we were just scaring her father with the blood pressure checks. I agreed that we were not medically trained and we requested he come and out and check for himself. He spoke with her father and then said he would not come out. I was flabbergasted with how I was treated so severely. It hurt me that anyone would accuse me of trying to scare this sweet old man.
It took me a while to get over my hurt feelings and start thinking about this nurse. What made
him behave this way to me? I think about one of my favorite movies "It's a Wonderful Life". I remember the scene when George Bailey spoke rudely on the phone to Zuzu's teacher, Mrs. Welch. He was at a bad place in his life and he really let Mrs. Welch have it. She didn't deserve it and had no idea what was going on in the life of Mr. Bailey at the time. He was normally a wonderful person who was thoughtful and kind. She just caught him at a bad time.
I had to think about what was going on with this nurse. Had he just lost a favorite patient? Was he being accused of not properly doing his job? Was he going through a hard time financially in his life? I don't know. I have to give the poor fellow the benefit of the doubt. I am praying for this man.
Matthew 5:44-45 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father who is in Heaven.
Ephesians 4:32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
These are hard words to do in our own power. We aren't supposed to. Pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit. I'm praying that in the future I can crawl over my hurt feelings a little more quickly and get to forgiveness. I'd like to sprint over them eventually.
For instance, this weekend we sat for a friend's elderly father and her adult brother who is mentally challenged. They are both absolute dolls and we love them like they were our own family. I feel especially in love with her dad who reminds me so much of my Papa who passed away many years ago. I wanted everything to go right while my friend was away so she wouldn't worry. We had a great time playing games, baking, talking and watching movies. Well, things went well until the evening when we were expecting them home. Her father complained of being dizzy and her brother checked his blood pressure. It was through the roof. We immediately gave him his medicine. He quickly seemed to be getting better. A check of his blood pressure confirmed this. However another check later revealed that it was going up again to dangerous levels. We had no explanation for this as he said he felt better. I called my friend for instructions. She asked that we check his blood pressure and if it didn't come down that we should immediately call the on-call nurse to ask if he would come by and see what was wrong. We called the nurse only to receive an accusatory reprimand that we were not medically trained to take a blood pressure check and we were just scaring her father with the blood pressure checks. I agreed that we were not medically trained and we requested he come and out and check for himself. He spoke with her father and then said he would not come out. I was flabbergasted with how I was treated so severely. It hurt me that anyone would accuse me of trying to scare this sweet old man.
It took me a while to get over my hurt feelings and start thinking about this nurse. What made
him behave this way to me? I think about one of my favorite movies "It's a Wonderful Life". I remember the scene when George Bailey spoke rudely on the phone to Zuzu's teacher, Mrs. Welch. He was at a bad place in his life and he really let Mrs. Welch have it. She didn't deserve it and had no idea what was going on in the life of Mr. Bailey at the time. He was normally a wonderful person who was thoughtful and kind. She just caught him at a bad time.I had to think about what was going on with this nurse. Had he just lost a favorite patient? Was he being accused of not properly doing his job? Was he going through a hard time financially in his life? I don't know. I have to give the poor fellow the benefit of the doubt. I am praying for this man.
Matthew 5:44-45 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father who is in Heaven.
Ephesians 4:32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
These are hard words to do in our own power. We aren't supposed to. Pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit. I'm praying that in the future I can crawl over my hurt feelings a little more quickly and get to forgiveness. I'd like to sprint over them eventually.
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