Stop. Before reading this, close your eyes and think of someone in your life you are sideways with. Perhaps they offended you recently, tossed a little shade your way, or have done you dirty for years. Perhaps it's the other way around and you're the offender and are carrying around a brick of guilt or shame in your backpack (most of us walk on both sides of this street).
Now take a few minutes and start the reconciliation process. Make the call, send a text, pray for them, ask for forgiveness, and take a step. Not a step towards proving your point, but proving God's love.
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)
Don't shoot the messenger, I don't like it either...but take it up with Jesus for these are his words, not mine. If you know you have done something that has sent another person spinning, just go say you're sorry. It's easy. Then God gets your whole heart, not just the undistracted part.
"Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)
I'm reading a book right now called "The Happiest Man on Earth", by Eddie Jaku. Eddie, (Abraham by birth, Adi to his friends, Eddie by English translation), survived Auschwitz during the holocaust and lived an incredible life afterward. While I am not finished, I have read enough to know that it was his forgiving heart, persevering spirit, and hopeful mindset that fueled not just his ability to survive, but to move forward in a healthy and productive way. He wraps up a chapter (after finally being rescued by the Americans and on the verge of death) with "I have a belief that if you can hang on to hope...tomorrow will come...where there is life, there is hope. Why not give hope a chance? It costs you nothing! And, my friend, I lived."
I'm amazed at what humans are capable of. In this story, you read about the best and the worst of humanity cohabitating in the most raw and uncomfortable way. Death and Hope walking side by side. To be honest, it's hard to put into words, but I know this: the things I have done to others and the things others have done to me are laughable in comparison.
Most of the time (not always) we get caught up in trivial matters of misunderstanding, immature responses, or just dumb molehills that our emotions turn into mountains. Let's knock those down and clear a path forward.
You can't control someone's response, but you can control yourself.
Give hope a chance. It's free. Let go of the anchor of bitterness or offense and see what God can do with an undistracted and forgiving heart. You might just become the happiest person on Earth.