One thing that never fails to remind me how far I have yet to go toward spiritual growth is my tendency to insist I am right. When others accuse me of a sin I did not do, I’m quick to justify myself. I can’t seem to let the moment pass by without clearing my name and explaining my side.
I don’t know if this is a result of some traumatic experience of being shamed. I don’t know if it’s a tendency coming from my genes or personality, but I do know that this is something I have to work on.
It’s not that we should let other people accuse us of things we did not do. But sometimes, it does take courage to remain silent and just to let an insult pass by if it’s just a little misunderstanding or if there is really no harm that would come out of it. After all, I think we could all remember when we did something wrong and we were not accused or punished for it.
In relation to this topic, I’d like to share with you a micro-fiction I’ve written:
Sometimes I don’t know what to make of her. Is she even for real?
Why does she not speak rudely when someone speaks meanly to her? Does she acknowledge her lack of worth? Can she not think of any witty or sarcastic word to make her detractors feel ashamed?
Out of curiosity, I asked her one time, and this was her reply, “Maybe she was just having a bad day.”
I did not want to push the issue but in my mind, I asked, “Is that all you can say? Is having a bad day a valid reason to be mean?” Such people deserve an eye for an eye?-?rudeness for rudeness, a mean word for every mean word they say.
Why does she always try to see the best in people? Why think of a good excuse when you’re already faced with what is bad?
(Continue reading… click here)
Check Jocelyn's books:
"Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief", "Mend My Broken Heart", "Questions to God", "To Love an Invisible God", "Defending My Catholic Faith", and more - click here.
(You may freely quote excerpts from this website as long as due credit is given to author Jocelyn Soriano and the website itakeoffthemask.com)