Step 3: Understand that the difficult person may be in difficult circumstances
A fascinating “world happiness” ranking came out a couple weeks ago, revealing that the United States has fallen to its lowest-ever level of happiness. We are 24th in the world (compared with 11th in 2012).
One possible factor? The number of people in the U.S. who dine alone has increased more than 50% in the last twenty years.
If someone is being “difficult,” maybe they’re deeply unhappy and isolated. Maybe they are in that mix of statistics of people who are just very lonely.
Philo of Alexandria famously said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.” We never know what people are facing. Humor can mask pain just as easily as prickly behavior can be a symptom of it. Just because one behavior is easier to engage with doesn’t mean the person who is suffering is any less deserving of our kindness.
In fact, if a difficult person acts badly or lashes out, this is actually a moment of truth for us. I Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” The Amplified Bible continues: “(Love) overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others.”
We want that kind of love, don’t we? We long for others to see and seek the best in us—especially when we’re in a difficult stretch, or (shocker) being a difficult person.
So, above all, let’s love deeply. The details we get so hung up on likely won’t matter in five years. They might not even matter in five minutes.
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