Angry Email Pain

I got an email from an angry newcomer today. We had an amazing service yesterday with several new people raving about what a warm friendly loving caring church we are. I am floating, thinking life is great, God is great, our church is great and then BAM...someone punches me in the heart. Ouch!

But I have to credit the guy...he signed the email. I have a healthy habit of trashing all the notes and emails that are not signed. If someone is not brave enough to sign it, then I am not interested enough to read it. I don't have time to guess who wrote it. So the guy gets one credit.

After that it's all down hill. He verbally vomits and in the process gets most of his facts wrong. But emotions are such tricky things...we don't see reality, we see our perception of reality and when we are wearing blue spectacles then, my golly, the world is blue...for a fact it's blue.

I really feel bad for the guy and hopefully if he reads my blog he won't know it's him that I am talking about. His initials are H.U.R.T. I know that for a fact.

And here's the big truth you must never forget.....drum roll please....HURTING PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE. That truth helps me a lot...they are mad at me...but not really...they are mad at life and their pain is so heavy they must try and transmit as much of it as possible to others.

So here's how I handle it:
1. I look for any truth in his words.
2. I pray for him and his pain.
3. I write a soft reply (a gentle answer turns away wrath the Bible says).
4. I seek my next opportunity to love a man who thinks he is my enemy.
5. I focus on the positive comments that far outweigh the one bad.
6. I remember even Jesus had a Judas who was a BIG critic.
7. I drown my pain in a Root Beer Float. (jk)