Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: Don’t take anything personally. Jesus never did—He served without offense. So many of our emotions come from taking things personally that were never about us at all.
Today, I’m gonna talk about a secular book that’s actually really good, really helpful in just getting along. We’ve talked in the past about agreements and making agreements with others and making agreements with yourself.
I remember one time just asking my daughter, “Hey, will you clean up the living room and vacuum and tidy up the couches? We got blankets on all the couches and everything.” And she said, “Sure.” And then nothing. And then nothing. And then nothing.
And I got all bent out of shape and worked up over it: “she’s spiting me”, “she’s not doing it”, “she said she would do it”, “she’s a liar”, “I’m a horrible father because I got a lying kid”, and “oh my gosh, it’s so horrible”… And I took it personally.
So that’s the first piece of advice from this book: don’t take anything personally. If we take that one to heart, that’s where so many emotions come from. Something happens and we take it personally.
I was talking in a conversation the other day with someone, and they’re like, “Well, yeah, I talked to this person and we’re having a good conversation. And then I asked more questions and they didn’t respond…And then they realized I was a coach selling stuff and it was expensive stuff.”
And did you say you were a coach? No. Did you say it was expensive stuff? No. Do you think they might just be busy? Oh, do you think since you’re chatting with them on LinkedIn that maybe they just aren’t on LinkedIn all the time. Maybe they have a job and a family and work. “Oh, you’re right.”
And so the conversation chimed back up, and they eventually made the sale because she was serving and giving and loving and not taking it personally, the messages that aren’t even the messages that are being sent.
This goes alongside the agreements talk we had a long time ago. Back to my first story. “Hey, child of mine, will you clean up the living room today before dinner time? Could you agree to do that?” “Oh, yeah, I can do that.” And then I’m not waiting days and days wondering when it’s gonna happen because I made a horrible agreement on the first example. We can make a better agreement. And when we make a wrong agreement, come together. Communicate. Don’t take it personally. Don’t read into it.
Don’t take anything personally. Let it all go. Look at it objectively. Jesus walked this Earth and He never took anything personally. He took it offensive to God. He flipped the tables because it’s God’s house. That wasn’t about Jesus. Well, except that He’s God too. But He just served and served and served.
I’ve said it many times. The scene in The Chosen where all the disciples, it’s dark out, all the disciples are in camp cooking and settling and sharing stories around the fire and looking over at this tent that’s over across the way where Jesus has a line of people, and they each come in and they have a moment with Jesus to talk and listen and get healed. And eventually, a couple hours later, Jesus comes over because it wasn’t about Him. He wasn’t taking anything personally. He wasn’t offended that these people were keeping Him up late. He wasn’t offended that they just kept coming. He wasn’t offended that the disciples were off on break and worn out.
He was offended “for us” a few times in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion when He was praying and they fell asleep. But that wasn’t a personal offense. That was an example of how our spirit wants to go the right way and then it doesn’t because our flesh derails it. Our worldly sense derails it.
So take that to heart and see where that lies on your emotions that we talked about the last couple days because that could be a huge trigger and source of emotions that don’t serve us, don’t serve anybody around us, and don’t serve God’s Kingdom.
You be blessed!
