Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters?

Who do you go to with your problems? A close friend? Your mom? A sister? A neighbor? Do you go to your pastor? To a counselor? To your spouse?

Today someone said something to me that hurt my feelings. I responded in kind. The conversation that had started innocently enough became a heated argument in short time. To quench the anger, I remember (a little too late) what I learned in a Bible Study about not talking when I am angry. So I ended the argument by leaving the conversation, not as nicely as I should have.

Then, I had a decision. What do I do with this anger? I turned to the closest person to me and began to spew all my justification for my anger. This wise and godly person did exactly the thing that anyone should in the situation; this person told me to shut up.

The truth is it wasn't that third party's business what happened between me and the second party. Counsel from my godly adviser was heeded, but I was still boiling over with hurt feelings and I just felt like I had to tell someone. I knew to tell anyone would be gossip and would likely only escalate my already raging emotional state.

Finally, I did what I should have done initially, way back before responding to the hurtful statement. I went to God.

I was reminded that my job as a Christian is to reflect God to the world around me. When people hurled insults on the Son of God, He responded by dieing for them. He literally laid Himself down for them as they killed Him. Knowing this, I should easily humble myself before a flippant comment.

So, I did the last thing I wanted to do in that situation. I swallowed my pride and apologized. Unfortunately, some damage was already done, and my pride wanted to keep rearing its head. But the situation slowly began to turn around. I still have a lot to learn, and I still have a lot of apologizing to do. But I think we are well on our way in the right direction.

So next time you are faced with an unkind word from a friend, or a bad situation at work, who will you turn to? You may eventually need to seek out advice from a godly person, like my adviser who told me to zip it, but first seek out the Counselor that has been sent to you. He has all wisdom and gives it freely to all who ask.

He is a great listener, and always has the right answer. He never lies, even when the truth isn't what we want to hear. He will comfort you, and then, humble you so you can be perfected.

It's a painful process, but the results are glorious.