daily java

Daily Java: Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you - for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.  (Proverbs 7:21-22)

It always bothers me when people say negative things about me, even when I know they are not true. In fact, the fact that they are not true doesn’t make it any better.

Recently, someone was trying to say something that would hurt me. He had decided he didn’t like me, so he chose words that he knew would hit to the heart of how I feel about myself and my abilities.

He did a good job. It got to me. Even though I knew they were not true (and so did he, for that matter – he was just trying to score points), they still hurt.

However, you just cannot put any real stock in what people say. If you hear nothing but praise, people are trying to get something from you. If you hear nothing but negativity, they are trying to hurt you. Either way, you have to weigh what is said and put it in perspective.

After all, you have done some of the same thing yourself. It is rare for a person to have lived his or her life without ever unduly criticizing someone else. There is some time in the past when you were snarky with someone, too. Or maybe you told someone else something and it got back to the person you were talking about.

When that happens, you don’t know what to do and wish you hadn’t said anything. Or at least you hadn’t said anything to that particular blabbermouth. But you did, and hurt is caused.

Rare is the person who spends his or her life in constant uplifting speech. Sooner or later, you mess up. When you do, you need to remember the times people said stupid stuff about you.

Now if they say it over and over in your life, maybe there is some truth in it. But in general, ugly criticism is intended to hurt. You can choose to be hurt, or you can choose to put it into perspective.

The guy who told me those things wanted to hurt me, and he did. For a while. But I know from the context of my life and what others have told me in the past that the things he said were just not true. They were delivered from a mean-spirited heart that wanted to do harm.

I am not sure why he did that, but he did, and I can choose to accept it or not. just like those I have talked against (not many, I hope) can choose to accept my words of stupidity or not.

Of course, in the same way, don’t pay too much attention to praise. That is the problem that movie stars and people in high position have. They begin believing their press. When that happens, there is almost always a bad fall. No one is as good or as bad as people say they are.

Just don’t pay attention.