Being Very Serious (Part 28)

Do you know who is the most difficult person to love?

-Not your friends.

-Not those less fortunate than ourselves.

-Not even your enemies or those who have despitefully used you.

Then who in the world could it be?

Sometimes the persons most difficult to love are the ones who seem more fortunate than we are. The one who receives the promotion we deserved. The one who gets the recognition we desired or the honor we sought or the affections of those over us that we had hoped to win. It is easy to resent those who seem to be more fortunate, who get all the breaks, or seem to forget where they've come from.

We have all been disappointed at not getting the break someone else did or the promotion that we expected. I have always wondered when a minister received accolades about accomplishments in their ministry why things about their approach to success went unnoticed. I'm not talking about those who really earned their way to the top, but the ones who emptied one church or more to build theirs and were patted on the back as though they had done something great. Or the ones that falsified reports to make their works look better than they really were. More than one pastor has face that truth when they have moved into one of those situations.

I spoke with another retired minister a few days ago who still feels the sting of being slighted when he was in active ministry. His work was just as important as the larger works in his state, but he felt miniscule then, just as he does now. So regardless of generations there are many who have problems with this particular situation. And when you have felt rejection it's hard to rejoice with how those who seem to get all the breaks are faring in life.

One person said to me recently, "You have to let go, or you'll get dragged. Unless you let things go, you should be prepared to have that thing drag you around until you do let it go." Whether it's envy, strife, being mistreated, or feeling mistreated or disrespected we have to let it go or get dragged. Trust me, being dragged is not a place you want to be in. Besides, if you ever want to grab onto something good, you'll need a free hand.