Thursday, January 11, 2018

When misunderstood and misjudged

WE should not be too surprised when we are misunderstood
and misjudged by others. There are a million reasons why these can
happen anytime, given the way we all are. But we should be ready to
react properly when these things happen to us. Truth is, if we know
how to, we can even take advantage of those occasions
  
            We have to be clear about the following point. That we get
misunderstood and misjudged by others does not give us the right to do
the same to them. That would be following the discredited law of
Talion. We should not respond to these situations simply on the
impulse of our gut reactions. It would just make things worse.
  
            We need to be calm and figure out what the most prudent
way to react is. Very often, we need to pause and pray, bring matters
in the presence of God, asking for his light and guidance. We have to
learn how to hold our horses. What we cannot understand and handle,
let’s leave them in the hands of God who knows what to do with
everything.
  
            In the meantime, let us console ourselves with the thought
that by being misunderstood and misjudged, we actually liken ourselves
to Christ who suffered the most extreme case of being misunderstood
and misjudged and who converted that predicament as our way of
salvation. With him, we also will have a way out of this predicament.
  
            That consideration would calm us down and help us avoid
experiencing unnecessary anguish and dangerous bitterness. It would
foster a spirit of sportsmanship such that setbacks like these would
only sharpen our desire to play better, so to speak, and not to waste
time brooding and entertaining bad thoughts and judgments.
  
            There will always be precious lessons for us to learn when
we are misunderstood and misjudged. Let’s never forget that if certain
bad things happen to us, it is because God at least allows them to
happen. And if they happen, it is because God wants to convey
something good, a saving message for us or that he wants us to derive
something beneficial to us.
   
            These occasions of being misunderstood and misjudged
actually give us precious insights about our weaknesses and the
weaknesses of others. They give a good picture of the fragile
condition that we all are in. But at the same time we would also know
that there is a way of handling this condition properly.
  
            We have to be quick to go to God asking for light. We
should avoid just getting stuck with our own devices. We are
completely helpless before certain mysterious things in our life. Only
in him can we have a good understanding of our situation, knowing why
God allows it to happen. Only in him can we repeat St. Paul’s words:
  
            “We are pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed,
but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not
destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so
that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Cor
4,8-10)
  
            Let’s remember that as St. Paul said: “God works all
things together for the good of those who love him, who are called
according to his purpose.” (Rom 8,28) So, the crucial thing to be and
to do is to be with Christ and to follow his will, no matter what.
  
            This should be our reaction whenever we are misunderstood
and misjudged. This is not hard to do. We just have to practice it
more often, because as they say, “practice makes perfect.”


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