Sunday, May 7, 2006

May I Please Have A Redo?

Have you ever had one of those days? You know, where at the end of it you look back and wish you could do it over again? Today was one of those days.

Someone did something that frustrated me, because it seemed irresponsible. My first reaction was anger. And annoyance. So, when I saw the person I felt the need to let them know how disappointed I was in them. I think my exact words were, "You are so dead."

The thing was, the person knew they'd messed up and already felt bad about it. So I'm wondering why I felt the need to "punish" them with my attitude. That's not the sort of person I want to be.

I want to be the sort of person who can say, "Oops, you goofed...how can I help you fix it?" The sort of person who encourages and affirms people rather than tears them down.

So I apologized. And then I asked God for a redo. I mean, not that the day can happen over again, but that the next time someone around me messes up, I will be able to respond with grace and love--as is befitting of someone who is so in need of God's love and grace to cover over all of my own mistakes. Like how I goofed on my attitude today.

No comments: