Extending your hand to those that have mistreated you.
By: Taren Vaughan
When someone hurts you, sometimes it can be very difficult to be there for them in their time of need. You want to be the one to comfort them, pray with them and talk to them about the situations that they are going through. You especially desire to do that if you have been through a similar situation yourself; you can truly empathize with that person. But if what happened between you and them hasn’t been reconciled, it’s hard to extend your hand to them like you would have done before. And if you did go out of your way and go the extra mile to console them, in your heart, you know you wouldn’t be sincere about it.
Some of us, myself included, struggle sometimes when it comes to being there for those that hurt us. But if you truly call yourself a child of God, you will find it in your heart to acknowledge when that person is going through a tough situation. God wants us to always be respectful and kind to people who don’t necessarily do the same for us. Furthermore, we should never take joy in someone else’s pain. I know that can be hard for some people not to do but we shouldn’t resort to that way of thinking. Instead, we should pray for them during their hard times. Pray that God gives them the strength that they need to overcome whatever it is that is causing them pain. If you can’t bring yourself to give the person a call, your prayers can reach them just the same. Even if you find that you can’t wholeheartedly be there for a person that has mistreated you, the fact that you reach out to them in some kind of way is pleasing in the sight of God and it can often serve as a reflection of your true character.
