WEEK 2: Getting it Right with People

Some many of us want people around us to change their behaviours and attitudes in dealing with us. Often times, we are frustrated by their worsening mannerisms and their presence steals our own peace away. Well, maybe you can’t change anyone but you can determine how people around you affect you inner peace.

The foundation of a beneficial relationship is acceptance and that goes without you pretending everyone is an angel. People are more likely to stay with you when they realize their personalities are safe with you, without you pressured to crush them at the slightest provocation from them. Most times when we admit others into our circle, we do so in our own terms. The toughest field of discrimination is right in our hearts. We write people off before we give them chance to prove they are worthy of our trust and friendship. Ironically, the way to improve yourself is to improve others. To improve others, you must deal with them in the light of their uniqueness.

 

Not even you want to change before being admitted into other people’s circles. So, why make such demand on others. Jesus illustrated this lesson vividly with The Good Samaritan parable. Through his ministry, we find all sorts of people in his circle. Remember, the sinful Peter, the Gentile Woman, the Roman Captain, the Samaritan Woman, Zaccheus the extortioner, the sanctimonious Nichodemus, and Geneserenean Mad Man, the list goes on and on. He admitted all of these people into his circle without making any demand on them.

• Opening the room for other people’s peculiarities paves a way for us to add various colours to ours and that takes care of boredom largely.
• Admitting people into our spheres, focusing on their peculiarities, switches on the knowledge portal to us. This is the route to an increasing quality of life.
• Acclimatizing to other people’s environment makes you less of a conflict-person and more of a peace-person.

Having considered the points here, they are not suggesting that keeping personal principles in relationship is undesirable, as a matter of fact it advocates it; however, there is a great need to learn the value of opening up your world for people to learn from it and vice versa.

The fact is people are like climatic conditions, you don’t expect weathers to change for you, and you acclimatize to them. Otherwise, you would be denying yourself a well of peace.

REFLECTION POINT:

Relationship is underlined by an inside-out approach. Do not put personality ahead of character. It is less practical to want to improve other before improving ourselves.

TASK:

Think about one person you have closed the door of friendship to and reopen it. Think about what you need to do differently to make the fellow fit into your world.

 

Quote of the Week:

To help people improve, you must see them in the light of their own uniqueness.

 

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