I was at a speaker meeting one night where the speaker began his sharing in this way: If I say something tonight that you dont agree with or that angers you, then say a prayer for me. God knows I could use the prayers, and you could probably use the practice. Well, that got everyones attention! I fumed in my seat for a while and could barely hear what he was sharing. After the meeting, I grabbed a bite to eat with my sponsor and we talked about it.
As I dumped my anger and indignation onto my sponsor while dipping my French fries into ranch dressing, he listened quietly and nodded his head. When I started repeating myself for the third time, he held up his hand to stop me. I see what he said in a very different way, he began. While it may have sounded disrespectful, what he was saying is the fundamental truth. Everyone has a different opinion, and if you dont agree with it, thats your problem, and not theirs. In other words, its up to you to change or accept.
Ive often thought of that night, and that share, and it has taken me years to appreciate the deep wisdom in it. What Ive found is that people are indeed very different; all our perspectives are uniquely ours, forged by heritages, families, and environments we can barely fathom. If I want to get along with people, then it is up to me to accept them for their differences. If I have a problem with that, then its probably best for me to say a prayer. Its up to me at that point to ask God to change me so that I can be okay with who they areand who I am as well.
