Taking the High Road

People will disappoint you. It’s just a part of life. We’re all human and we make mistakes. Sometimes, people confront you even for doing the right thing. Sometimes, they will be angry with you for their own opinions that should not have stock in your life.

Children begin to deal with this at a young age. My seven year old constantly is telling me that her and her best friend “broke up” again. She tells me some of the things that they fight about and they are so minuscule they make me laugh. However, it is heartbreaking at that age to fight with your friends.

One of my biggest issues is that I have trouble taking the “high road”. I have a wise friend who constantly tells me, “Erin, just don’t respond”. Her advice works out better than my own impulsive responses.

This does not mean that my life is without the drama. I look at my beautiful seven year old and I do not want her to fall into the same traps.

I enjoying helping people. I like to try and find the best in everyone I meet. I see this same trait in my oldest daughter. She is a nurturer. She hurts when others hurt and is always trying to find solutions to the troubles of others.

When I am there for someone and then they turn on me for reasons I do not understand, I become very hurt and angry. This is when I cannot harness that hurt and I respond badly to their actions. I am 31, but I can become a teenager again in an instant when it comes to drama.

I am not proud of this. I am trying my hardest to remember that Jesus was persecuted by those He loved and helped. I am not flawless like Him, but my heart is almost always in the right place. I never intend to hurt. I try to think of what God would want from me in every situation. When I fail, I try to learn from my mistakes and I try again.

The statement, “What Would Jesus Do”, is one most of us have heard. Before I respond with an angry text or phone call, I am learning that sometimes the most dignified thing you can do is nothing at all.

I pray every day that my children do not base their self worth on others’ opinions. I pray that my children learn to respond with love and that their actions speak volumes about the God they serve.

To accomplish this, I must do these things myself. Taking the high road is not about winning. It is about not following anger and hate down it’s path. It is about responding with love or not at all.

Sometimes, I too stop and look around and realize that everything that God has given me is good and beautiful. Just as I can look at my daughter’s small problems and tell her it will be OK, this is what God want us all to know. If I ever need to feel connected and know that there is so much more to life than holding on to hurt and mistakes all I need to do is open my eyes and see how big this world is that God created.

We all will go through “break ups” with friends like my seven year old has done. We all will be attacked in some way at sometime in our lives. Walk the road Jesus paved for you, not the one that is created by impulse and anger.

If you are relating to this and have someone bringing you down, remember that the most important love in your life is that of our Savior Jesus, He always has your back and His love is unconditional. We are created in His image, so we should try to wear it well. I remind myself of that daily.