Life gets really difficult when you have to deal with difficult people. Sometimes it seems like an eternity while spending a couple of days with such people. It is irritating, frustrating, and boring.
Things are even worse if those difficult people are people who supervise you or in simple words is your boss. Do you need any more trouble in life ? Or is this enough ? Doing what they want of you, getting irritated at the same time and then cannot even open your mouth against it. Awesome!
I had come across such a boss of mine who on the very first day of my joining , had laid straight her following demands : no lies, no doing anything without seeking her permission or rather informing her, no leaving office without seeking her permission, work life balance is there but you will have to work even on weekends if required. These were some of the nails on the coffin which my boss had hammered.
I knew I am busted.
Life became a living hell for me because of my boss’s behavior. I could see others treating their subordinates with respect and in a much friendly way, but when i see my boss, why is she like this? I used to get very furious about this sometimes and most of the days i remained frustrated and depressed.
My health went down, mental health had shattered and self confidence was butchered. All because of that once person who now owned the 9 hours of my daily life.
How can we deal with such difficult people?
What does Jesus say about this? How does he deal with such people? What does he advice his disciples to do when it comes to dealing with difficult people?
Read the Gospel of Matthew 10:16 – ” See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
The key to dealing with difficult people is this. We have to remain innocent and pure. In a way we need not lose our clean heart while dealing with someone who seems nasty. Thats what the world teaches you. They say if you need to clean the filth then you need to get your hands dirty.
But Jesus says otherwise. He says that you need to be innocent as doves. But now lies the key. Be wise as serpents. Now do not forget that devil or the evil one is often showed as serpents in the Bible. Do not be evil, but be wise as serpent. Knowledge and Wisdom (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11) are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, do not make your hands dirty while dealing with difficult ones. There is no point in becoming a difficult person while you have to deal with them every day. Yes, i agree that that certain behaviors are contagious. But be aware that you do not become the person whom you do not like.
Learn to AVOID and IGNORE. Thats how you can be wise as serpents yet be innocent as doves.
Once you learn to avoid you will know that such difficult people are difficult only when we want to deal with them. Similarly, if you ignore them or their words or facial expressions while they speak with you or their gestures towards you , then THEY NO LONGER MATTER TO YOU.
Jesus through out his ministry has shown how he used to deal with pharisees and scribes. Study his life. Things will become a lot more easier.
Amen.