(no subject)

[ringsandcoffee]

Bullet points:

-Learning to not react, and not take things personally.
-Many of the 8th graders are on a destructive path, and I can't stand to watch what they're doing to themselves. I don't know how to stop it.
-It's not just in my class that shreds of eraser get tossed around.
-The vandalism has spread to library books and class textbooks. They're so blatent about it, I'm scared.

I ran across this passage last night, which was exactly what I needed to read after last week at work. It's from The Five Love Languages for Singles by Gary Chapman.

"Yes, [something bad] happened. Certainly it hurt. It may still hurt. But either the person has acknowledged his or her failure and I have chosen to forgive the individual, or he/she persists in the wrong behavior and I choose to release that person to God, knowing that He is a God of justice as well as mercy. I refuse to allow the other's behavior to destroy my life today.
Releasing the person is not forgiveness. Forgiveness is a response to confession. It is rather a releasing of my hurt and anger so that I am not consumed by them. It is choosing to love people in spite of the wrong they have done to me. It does not restore the relationship, but it does allow me to live my life in peace and love toward others."

Comments

[spacious-place.livejournal.com]

I'm going to post the Gary Chapman quote somewhere that I can read it once in a while. This part in particular:

"I choose to release that person to God, knowing that He is a God of justice as well as mercy. I refuse to allow the other's behavior to destroy my life today."

Thanks for posting this. I so need to live my life in peace and love toward others, even those who continue to behave badly.