Always Respond with Love

Yesterday, I shared a wisdom quote on the subject of happiness. I said that I’d be back today with another wisdom quote, and here I am. The quote I’m going to share today relates to interpersonal relationships — one of the major areas of struggle for many human beings.

Everybody means well, and even if they don’t, treat them as though they do

I believe one of the greatest causes of unhappiness in many people’s lives comes from a focus which is directed too much towards the conduct of others, rather than on one’s own character and personality. Jesus taught that we should take the log out of our own eye before we attempt to remove the splinter from the eye of another, and this is the same kind of sentiment.

I know I am sometimes prone to getting caught up in the emotional turbulence of people around me, and have to continually remember to simply focus on my own actions and not let any perceived hostility from others affect me. Believing in the idea of divine judgement and justice makes this easier. People can do all sorts of things that make us upset or angry, but we don’t know what’s going on in their hearts. God knows what is going on in their hearts, and if there is to be a judgement day, we can hope that everything will be brought to light and misunderstandings will be made clear.

Because we can never know the thoughts of another person, when we feel upset by someone’s actions I believe it’s best to make the assumption that they are doing the best they can in the circumstances they are in. Taking this approach enables us to always be kind and lessens the likelihood of any conflict occurring. We can also pray to God to improve our character and interpersonal relationships, to give us patience, and to remind us to always act with love, even when we perceive we are being wronged.