A Very Messy Point of View

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

A Very Messy Point of View
Friends, I got into my car last Monday morning to head for the office and as I backed out and turned onto the street, it was obvious that my windscreen had been attacked by a bird the night before. In fact, my direct line of sight of the road in front of me was seen through a blob of bird mess. In a matter of seconds, I was laughing. It dawned on me that maybe this was an omen of what lay ahead that day. Somebody just might come down hard on me because of his or her blurred line of sight. And perhaps I might be tempted to see some person or situation through my own, shall we say “stuff.” What about you? Do you ever get a load of anger dumped on you that wasn’t deserved? Perhaps you were smart enough to figure out that someone had taken out his or her anger at the boss or another employee on you. Even so, knowing what had happened didn’t take all the hurt out of it. Maybe you’ve done the same thing to someone who telephoned you at a particularly tense time or just after you’d received bad news. Have you ever had someone be rude to you because you are in sales or because you represent a company with which she’d had a bad experience before? Have you ever been the next customer in line after a shop assistant had someone before you give him a hard time? Worse still, have you ever realized that you were being racist or sexist in a story you had started to tell? You’re beginning to get the picture now, aren’t you? Friends, I’m not sure I know how to deal with the problem I’m raising with you. It may help to understand that the person is misdirecting his or her anger at you; however it doesn’t take away the indignity you may have experienced. If may also help to realize that he was upset by bad news about a friend’s death or her child’s illness at school, but knowing the reason behind a certain nasty or heartless behaviour is not enough to excuse it. Okay, so he feels bad, but he still didn’t have to behave like such an ignorant person! From my own personal experience, it seems that the best each of us can do each day is to keep our own line of sight relatively clear. If things were tense at home over the weekend or as you left for work this morning, resolve that you won’t take it out on the people are you right now. They don’t deserve it, they don’t need it, and they might not handle it well. Suppose, on the other hand, that something really unpleasant or stressful happens today at work. The great temptation will be to take a bad attitude with you at the end of the day and make your cat, children, or friends pay for it. With that thought in mind, let me ask you this question. Do you need to stop right now and ask God to help you clean your spiritual windscreen? It will certainly be better than going through the day with a very messy outlook on life. One last thing, if I can assist any of you to find and enjoy a better life with God’s help, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me. I am always pleased to hear from readers of this column. Email me or write to me at P.O Box 1540, Albany W.A 6331. Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418

Friends, I got into my car last Monday morning to head for the office and as I backed out and turned onto the street, it was obvious that my windscreen had been attacked by a bird the night before. In fact, my direct line of sight of the road in front of me was seen through a blob of bird mess.

In a matter of seconds, I was laughing. It dawned on me that maybe this was an omen of what lay ahead that day. Somebody just might come down hard on me because of his or her blurred line of sight. And perhaps I might be tempted to see some person or situation through my own, shall we say “stuff.” What about you?

Do you ever get a load of anger dumped on you that wasn’t deserved? Perhaps you were smart enough to figure out that someone had taken out his or her anger at the boss or another employee on you. Even so, knowing what had happened didn’t take all the hurt out of it. Maybe you’ve done the same thing to someone who telephoned you at a particularly tense time or just after you’d received bad news.

Have you ever had someone be rude to you because you are in sales or because you represent a company with which she’d had a bad experience before? Have you ever been the next customer in line after a shop assistant had someone before you give him a hard time? Worse still, have you ever realized that you were being racist or sexist in a story you had started to tell? You’re beginning to get the picture now, aren’t you?

Friends, I’m not sure I know how to deal with the problem I’m raising with you. It may help to understand that the person is misdirecting his or her anger at you; however it doesn’t take away the indignity you may have experienced. If may also help to realize that he was upset by bad news about a friend’s death or her child’s illness at school, but knowing the reason behind a certain nasty or heartless behaviour is not enough to excuse it. Okay, so he feels bad, but he still didn’t have to behave like such an ignorant person!

From my own personal experience, it seems that the best each of us can do each day is to keep our own line of sight relatively clear. If things were tense at home over the weekend or as you left for work this morning, resolve that you won’t take it out on the people are you right now. They don’t deserve it, they don’t need it, and they might not handle it well.

Suppose, on the other hand, that something really unpleasant or stressful happens today at work. The great temptation will be to take a bad attitude with you at the end of the day and make your cat, children, or friends pay for it.

With that thought in mind, let me ask you this question. Do you need to stop right now and ask God to help you clean your spiritual windscreen? It will certainly be better than going through the day with a very messy outlook on life.

One last thing, if I can assist any of you to find and enjoy a better life with God’s help, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me. I am always pleased to hear from readers of this column.

Email me
or write to me at
P.O Box 1540,
Albany W.A 6331.

Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418