Kill 'Em With Kindness

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. --Philippians 2:5-7

Apparently, I have an attitude problem. At least according to some of the people I work with. I won't deny it: they're right. If someone gets an attitude to me or talks to me in a way that is disrespectful, I do get an attitude back. I don't see why I should have to put up with poor treatment. I have the American attitude that I deserve respect. It's all blind pride and the sense of entitlement that comes from having too much pride. No matter how I think things should be in my life and interpersonal relations, the fact is that I won't always get the respect my pride thinks I deserve. But to please God with my attitude, I need to learn to be nice even when I'm not being treated nicely. Jesus treated everyone with dignity and respect, even those who mocked Him. Even though he was God, Jesus was humble. I who am so much less than God struggle with humility every day. It's so difficult for me to overcome my sense of entitlement that comes from my unmerited pride that I don't know how to respond kindly to cruelty. I don't know how to love the way Jesus loved when my heart is so prideful and self-righteous. I may be a trained counselor, but when the offense is coming my way, I lose all sense of empathy and react on my own hurt feelings. I get defensive and lose the opportunity to be a good witness. The only why I can provide a consistently positive witness is if I let Jesus wash away my pride, no matter how ingrained it may feel. Like Jesus, I need to learn to be humble enough to love the unloveable and to overcome the urge to retaliate no matter how many slings and daggers they throw my way. I have a feeling this cleansing is going to sting, maybe so much that I beg God to stop. I'll have to stay focused hard on the goal--to leave me with a less human and more Christ-like attitude so that I can do better work for the Kingdom.