What kind of people and friends do you like being around? It’s usually the ones who accept us for who we are…who don’t try to change, criticize, or control us. Let me ask you a question…have you ever thought about whether other people really like to be around you? If not, maybe it’s because they feel, right or wrong, that, deep down inside, you really don’t love or accept them for who they are…you’re always trying to change the way they do something. Instead of serving your family and showing them acceptance, you’re constantly criticizing them for not doing it the same way you do, or you’re always bossing them around. I confess…I’m guilty!
So, what can you and I do about it?
Instead of trying to CHANGE people…ACCEPT others for who they are…incredible creations with infinite value and worth.
Love them unconditionally. Accept not only their wonderful qualities, but also their flaws. Just remember, we are all flawed in some way!
Instead of CRITICIZING people…APPLAUD them more.
In the movie, Pollyanna, Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying, “If you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will.” It’s often also true that if you look for good things from mankind expecting to find them, you surely will. Most of the time, we can find some good in what people do. When we see it, we should applaud them and encourage them with our words.
Instead of trying to CONTROL people…ALLOW them to be who God intended them to be.
Allow them to be themselves. If you and I are looking for others to be just like us, we might end up disappointed if they become like us!
