Pondering Paroxyms

I was talking with someone today about bitterness at work. One of the teams at one of the places I work is in the midst of experiencing little blow-ups, always putting the ones loosing their tempers at great disadvantage. People loose it for many different reasons, but the intriguing thing is how inviting such behavior seems to those struggling with bitterness. People always want to say what they shouldn't say, as if this will help them feel better. It never does. Maybe I've blogged on this before. Sorry to be a bore if I have, but here's a few observations on this beautiful spring afternoon:

1) If someone gets in your face over something, they will do it again over something else. If you want your present relationship with this person to continue, decide that you are going to take it when the person goes postal next time, because the one thing you can be sure of is that there will be a next time.

2) If your response is curiosity, you'll still have to shake off the muck from your encounter. If your response is outrage, you'll have a tough time shaking off the muck from your encounter. 

3) If you are in authority or have competency, others may really resent you for it. Don't assume their resentment, but if you discover that it is indeed present, don't be surprised.

4) When someone mistreats you, you don't have the option of returning their mistreatment and keeping your integrity intact. You must remain above the fray. Stand up for yourself, but don't bite back. In war and football, the best defense is a good offense. This is not true, however, in interpersonal relationships.

5) God can use people's embarrassing emotional explosions for His own purposes. See the end of Acts 15. One ministry became two. The word for the "sharp disagreement" between Paul and Barnabas is most closely related to the English word: paroxysm. Paroxysm is a literary term for loosing it.