Feeling Bugged
- 1. Is someone annoying you? Are you having difficulty getting along with one of your peers or a younger brother or sister? Do you feel like you‛ve tried everything but the problem is still there? You probably don‛t want to lose your temper, ... ...but perhaps you feel that you can‛t keep being nice forever.
- 2. Your love will never be strong enough to love someone who annoys you. You just have to be the channel for Jesus‛ love. His love is stronger than any love, and it‛s unending and unconditional. So when your love isn‛t enough or you feel that you have none left, ... ...tap into Jesus‛ love. Here are some tips for how to let Jesus‛ love pour through you when your own love has run out. 1. Love, unity, forgiveness, and brotherhood are key. But Jesus‛ love is!
- 3. 2. Ask for heavenly assistance... 3. Be slow to speak (James 1:19b). Wait a minute before responding. Don‛t be hasty in your words or actions. Take a moment to think about what you‛re going to say or do. Give Jesus an opportunity to check you in case you‛re about to say or do something that won‛t have good results. ...so you can learn how to value brotherhood, and to help you be filled with Jesus‛ love for others. Ask Jesus to help you see the other person as He sees them, and to love them with His love. Ask Him to fill you with His love, so that you can be more loving.
- 4. 4. Praise. Usually when someone is bothering you, it‛s extremely difficult to think of anything nice about the person. Force yourself to thank Jesus for a good quality that the person has. If you find it hard to think of something positive about the person, then ask Jesus for help. Jesus loves the person who is bothering you as much as He loves you... ...and He can tell you one of the things that He loves about the person so that you can praise Him for it. Explaining your feelings to someone older who can understand and pray for you is much better than venting your frustrations to the person you‛re annoyed at. 5. Communicate. Talk to a parent, teacher, or grown-up.
- 5. 7. Pray. There are plenty of things that you do wrong or that annoy other people. Think about some of your blunders, mistakes, and lacks. Tell Jesus about the problem and ask Him to help you and the other person to get along well. faith and humility are powerful. Prayers prayed in If you pray, Jesus will do miracles to change the situation and rec- tify the problem. If you aren‛t sure what to pray for, ask Jesus and He‛ll tell you. CENSORED (Think of your own shortcommings.) Doing this will help keep you humble and help you to nothighlight someone else‛s problems. 6. Remember, you‛re not perfect either!
- 6. The same goes for a kind response. 8. Stay sweet. “A soft answer turneth away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). Even if you feel like saying something nasty, resist that urge, and strive to respond in a kind manner. If you‛re upset, don‛t act on your feelings; instead call on Jesus to help you to respond calmly and with patience. Even just politely excusing yourself and walking away and not saying or doing anything is better than doing something unkind. 9. Love. Remember that the greatest law is love. When you have patience with those who are annoying or bothering you, you are practicing the law of love. Learning to love others with Jesus‛ love, even if they are difficult for you to be around, or they are unkind or bother you, is training in applying and living His Golden Rule of love. (See Luke 10:27.)
- 7. Do your best to love others, no matter who they are! Don‛t be discouraged if you fail at times. As long as you‛re trying and learning, it will make Me happy. Jesus doesn‛t expect perfection. He just expects you to persevere.
- 8. Don‛t feel like you need to follow all of these steps each time. Do what you can at the time, and you are guaranteed to progress in letting love shine through you. You‛ll soon learn to get along with others even under the most difficult circumstances.
- 9. S&S link: Character Building: Communication and Interaction-2d Authored by Christi S. Lynch, adapted from the writings of Maria Fontaine. Illustrations byAnthony. Copyright © 2010 by The Family International THINK ABOUT IT: When I am feeling bugged or annoyed with someone, I do not let my emotions control my behavior. I stop and take time to think and pray about how to react in love.