When I was little, the lady that babysat me would drill this into the minds of all of the children she kept. Whenever we would steal a toy or refuse to play with someone, she would always make us sit down and repeat the 'Golden Rule.' The older we got the more we tended to roll our eyes when we were forced to say it, but that never stopped her. She was going to make sure that we knew it, and now, thanks to her, it is engraved in my mind. However, I will be the first to admit that I am quick to forget it in times of trouble. Us girls are known for our ability to turn the silliest tiff into a full blown war, and I seem to have an uncanny knack for returning fire. It's the surrendering that I have a problem with, and I have ruined my fair share of relationships because of it. I've learned quite a bit from those failures though. I'm not going to pretend that I have relationships figured out now; there's still a lot that I don't know...
But here's what I do know: you will fight with someone. That person will hurt you, but you will also hurt them. Someone will disappoint you, but you will also disappoint them. There are two sides to every argument, and there is no such thing as a fair fight. You can't go through life avoiding these situations. (If you do, I advise you to grow a backbone.) However, you can control how you respond to them. Don't waste time. Go apologize to them. Do your best to make it right. Forgive them. And LET IT GO.
Do not be concerned with whether or not they apologize. Do not be concerned with whether or not they acknowledge that they hurt you. Do not even be concerned with whether or not the relationship continues - just take care of your business. All too often we believe that the quickest way to make the world better is to 'teach someone a lesson.' In reality, the quickest way to make the world better is to let go. Stop hanging on to past hurts, stop hanging on to unforgiveness, and stop waiting on someone else to make the first move. The person that hurt you is not responsible for making you unhappy; you are responsible for still carrying around that baggage.
Do not be concerned with whether or not they apologize. Do not be concerned with whether or not they acknowledge that they hurt you. Do not even be concerned with whether or not the relationship continues - just take care of your business. All too often we believe that the quickest way to make the world better is to 'teach someone a lesson.' In reality, the quickest way to make the world better is to let go. Stop hanging on to past hurts, stop hanging on to unforgiveness, and stop waiting on someone else to make the first move. The person that hurt you is not responsible for making you unhappy; you are responsible for still carrying around that baggage.
Let go of heavy hurts. Forgive those that hurt you. Accept the apology you never got. If you do those three things, you are bound to find your happier days. Stay happy, my friends.
