Stop the Talk!

In my heart of hearts I know that I am a good person. I am a do-gooder who wants to make a difference to other people.. who wants to help... to fix things... to step in when someone else can't, to lighten someone's load or brighten someone's day. Even when people are mean to me, walk all over me, take advantage or me or make me cry or feel like I have failed, I bounce back and do good. I treat people the way that I feel God wants me to treat them, even when it isn't appreciated or well received. They say when someone slaps you turn the other cheek right? That is my philosophy, no matter how much someone hurts me I continue to forgive and love because that is the right thing to do. This is why it is especially hard for me when someone questions my integrity or intentions. When they feel my gestures are ill-willed or self absorbed. When they say that I do things to make myself look good... this is NOT my intention. I want to consider myself a selfless person... I try to give to others first, serve as I was taught by my parents and love unconditionally. I offer to help, I encourage and support with the best intentions in mind... but I have to understand in a majority selfish world, some people don't receive my intentions as selfless, I somehow for some reason have an ulterior motive, when in fact that is far from the case. I am a committed person who tries hard to stick to everything I say I am going to do, to fulfill every promise and to follow through with every good intention... do I get disappointed when someone else commits or says they will do something that they do not follow through... yes, I do because honestly it is disappointing... am I saying that I am always perfect, absolutely not at all. It is hard to be accused of doing good deeds and works for selfish intentions... that is not me. I don't need the recognition, I don't need to be patted on back for everything I do, does it feel good when someone recognizes me, you bet it does, but that is NOT what I am seeking. I just do what I do because that is who I am. It is in my DNA so to speak. My parent's instilled in me to do good for others, to serve God's people no matter what. Love unconditionally no matter how much I get taken advantage of, spit on, or my feelings hurt. I have to come to terms with the fact that not everyone will see my intentions as selfless or beneficial to them, not everyone is going to like me, not everyone will receive my "good deeds" as appreciated. I need to be okay with that. I need to stop struggling to prove that my intentions are selfless... I need to just be me and Let it Go! No one person should be able to change our motivation, our optimism or our attitude. I need to nurture the amazing relationships that I do have, to focus on more of what I want, the people I love and move forward and count my blessings not my heartaches. Learning to get over hurts and resentments, rude people, and disappointments can free up more room for the positive energy needed to focus on reaching those who need you the most. Jesus Christ said: “Do not resist him that is wicked; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him.”—Matthew 5:39. Jesus’ teaching in his Sermon on the Mount regarding ‘turning the other cheek’ reflects the true spirit of God’s Law to Israel. Jesus did not mean that if his followers are struck on one side of the face, they should stagger to their feet and offer the other side as a target. In Bible times, as is often true today, a slap was not intended to injure physically but was an insult intended to provoke a reaction, a confrontation. Evidently, then, Jesus meant that if one person tried to goad another into a confrontation with a literal slap—or with stinging sarcasm—the person slapped should avoid retaliating. Instead, he should attempt to avoid what could become a vicious circle of rendering evil for evil.—Romans 12:17. It is my intention to not take revenge on someone to not make them feel like they made me feel. To vent if needed to someone I trust and then let it go, not continue to talk ill about them or try to reason with their intentions...or try to "be right" to just give it to God and move on with my day.