Why Can't they See It My Way!

Today, yesterday, last week or last year, something set you off. It made you angry. You just can’t understand why this person didn’t get it! Why can’t they see your point of view? Why won’t your child listen to your wisdom? You have been down the road they are going on and you are only trying to prevent them from making the same mistakes you may have made. 

Then there’s your spouse. Your spouse is stubborn or so you say. He/She just can’t see it your way! Why can’t my spouse see that paying the credit card bill five days late will cost us more than you can imagine long-term. My spouse just doesn’t understand the importance of saving money and creating a safety net for the future. It just drives you crazy when your spouse says “tomorrow is not promised, so we need to live for today!”  And it blows you away when he/she does not understand why it’s important to create a college savings plan for your child. You know one day it’s going to cost a fortune and YOU know this is the best way of being prepared when it’s time to pay tuition. You are so frustrated and you say “my spouse is completely blind to understanding why we shouldn’t be charging everything for immediate gratification when we have problems paying those same credit card bills when they are due." In your mind they are just plain IGNORANT because they would rather use money from your rent or mortgage allotment to buy something or do something that can really wait until another time. Your spouse would rather pay the rent/mortgage late to get what he/she thinks the family needs right now. It just doesn’t make any sense, right!!!?

Then there’s the co-worker on the job who just doesn’t understand why the boss is giving him/her a hard time. They did not do anything wrong they say, but YOU see that when they come in to work late 30-45 minutes everyday it’s a problem. And  while they are supposed to report to work at 8 a.m. as the company policy states, they have decided by their actions that their own reporting time is 8:45 a.m. Just plain ignorant, right? You know that’s not how you conduct yourself on the job. You have been the perfect example of a dedicated worker. You come to work on time. You complete the assignments that are given to you. YOU are on your “A” game. YOU have it all together. So why can’t your co-worker see what YOU see? And you are tired of them whining to you about the boss. They complain that the boss is being unfair and keeps assigning them more and more work. They tell you it’s just not enough time in the day to get it all done. And you say to yourself...” I guess not since they come to work 45 minutes late everyday and on top of that they have to leave work early by an hour everyday for various reasons! JUST PLAIN STUPID!!!!" 

At home, you feel your child is NOT listening to you because he/she keeps doing the same thing over and over again. Your child seems to be making the same mistakes. He/she is getting on your LAST NERVE! And let’s not forget about your spouse who has proven to be consistent in his/her inconsistencies. He/She is on their “A” game in making stupid decisions. YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH! You are saying “LORD what am I doing wrong. I must be a failure because those closest to me… just can’t see what I see. Oh GOD, I have so much to deal with. I am in a state of depression. I can’t function. My body is breaking down…my health is deteriorating due to the stress in my life and on the job. Why me Oh LORD!?” You see what’s going on around you so WHY CAN’T THEY SEE IT!? You are thinking to yourself that you are ready to wash your hands with them all. You say you need a break from everyone. You believe you need a solo vacation so you can calm down and get your mind together.

We are here to tell you that if you followed your own line of thinking, you would be sorely disappointed.  Especially if you don’t have the right context for getting away. When you go on a vacation to get away from your troubles, you are only running away and not dealing with the REAL problem. When you are running away, you are really not getting away to solve your problems… you are only delaying the revealing of the complete truth about your situation. Whether you want to believe this or not, YOU are PART OF THE PROBLEM. You can’t run away from YOU!  If you reached that before leaving and you are going away to meditate and ask GOD to show you YOU as HE sees YOU… then you are on the right path. But if that’s not your focus, then you WILL be disappointed!

Ok… now you are about to stop reading because the author of this document has gone off on the deep end. We know that’s what you’re thinking. You are thinking “How can I be a part of the problem when everything I have an issue with is about doing it the right way?”

Think about it this way. If GOD applied the way you feel about the individuals you have issues with to you, YOU would be in trouble Big time if you are truly honest with yourself (It’s time to remove the “Self Righteous attitude right now and continue reading).  He gives each of us what we need and yet we do the same dumb things over and over again. He leads us down a path that will provide for our spiritual, mental and physical needs, but yet we want to do it our own way because WE know it ALL. We know in our hearts we have some foul thoughts, but we pretend that we are living a good, pure life…it’s called being SELF-RIGHTEOUS!!!!!!!!!!! GOD knows our heart and what’s in our minds, and even when we have been told that time and time again, we still continue down the road WE have paved for ourselves (operative word here is WE, US – Translation= YOU). We know what’s best for us, right?

Just like your spouse knows what’s best for your family when he/she makes stupid decisions. Just like when your child seems to ignore your well-intended advice. Just like when your co-worker has arbitrarily reduced his/her workday to 6 hours and 15 minutes and complains about having too much work to do and not enough time in the day to get it all done.  

The truth of the matter is, we must follow GOD’s example for how he treats us and apply that to how we feel about others when they don’t see what we see. In GOD’s case, he see’s everything.  But we don’t see everything GOD sees. He is the ultimate architect of our destiny. He is the author of the Book of Life. He knows the end, because he created it even before the word CREATED was ever a word. GOD IS REAL. And he teaches us to be COMPASSIONATE. Have compassion for those who do not see what you see, and then HAVE COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU DON’T KNOW IT ALL ALSO!!!!  It begins with self examination.

Each person YOU may have a problem with must go through self-examination before they really can get what you have tried to tell them, and that can only happen when they are willing to make that decision on their own.  As for you, YOU must examine yourself, and ask yourself this much… Have you really been compassionate to those who don’t see what you see? Let us flip it for you. Has GOD been compassionate to you when you keep trying to do things on your own and find yourself making mistakes? Does he keep providing for you even when you were distracted with the ways of this world and you really could not see what HE sees about you and your soul? The answer to that is simple, but it takes a person willing to truly submit themselves to the will of GOD. When that happens… when you sincerely go to him with a mindset of him purging you…cleansing you and restoring you - then the blinders will be removed from your eyes! That can only happen when you lean not on your own understanding. That can only happen when you allow HIM to direct your path. That can only happen when you realize the only person you are hurting when you get emotional is YOURSELF. You are affecting your health when you allow yourself to get stressed. You are affecting your soul when you allow your fleshly feelings to drive your actions. Satan runs rampant and creates havoc in our lives because he pushes our emotional buttons. He knows your reaction because it is predictable. He knows you will blow your top and get bent out of shape because you are leaning on your own understanding.

Showing compassion for those who do not see what you see will help YOU because you are now letting go and allowing GOD to work on the situation. It’s about FAITH! You must have faith to know that GOD is real. If you have faith you will have compassion for others. If you have faith, your situation will be healed. If you have faith… YOU will be HEALED…physically, mentally and spiritually! Thus – YOU HAVE BEEN CHANGED!