Are you being THE BEST YOU, that you want others to see?

We all have a shelf-life. Yep, and that sure can be a scary thought for some of us.

I really got to thinking about this when I saw that Rush Limbaugh had passed away and it disturbed me about some of the horrible things that certain people were saying about him. Regardless of what you think of a person, how you vote or just what you feel overall, common decency and courtesy should rule not only what you say but also how you say it. My point about this, is that the words that we say matter. It doesn’t matter what another person’s race, religion, ideology is, if it is someone who is well-known or if it is just someone who is living their life, as you are living yours. So, let me repeat again….the words that we say matter!

How you treated another person in this life and what you said about them, says more about your character than it does theirs. If it is in a mean, hurtful way, then they have become the victim and you have become a bully. No one likes a bully.

As a former teacher, we had to take classes annually on confronting bullying and how it can impact a person’s life. We, as the adults, had to watch for it and protect the innocent against it. One of the things that I always said to a student who was bullying was, “Treat others, the way that you want to be treated. Would you like it if someone said the same thing to you?”. So, again, I will ask……

Are you being the best you, that you want others to see?

You, see, that point about us having a shelf life should be an eye-opener! What are you going to be able to say to God about how you treated another person? Also, will people have mostly good things to say about you when you die? Or will they not miss you at all because you didn’t treat others with the dignity that they deserved?

This is a hard conversation to have, but it is absolutely necessary. We need to think before we speak. We also need to think about how we would feel if someone said the same thing to us. We all bleed the same and unkind words are never easily forgotten, or can be forgiven, for that matter.

So, what did I learn from this? I have to own what comes out of my mouth. I think about things that I have said in the past and it bothers me because I know that I can’t change it. I can’t woulda, shoulda, coulda. (Related post) (It is and can be a very humbling experience to know that I wasn’t the sort of person that I should be.) I don’t want to regret that my words might be harmful. I only know that I can work on being a better version of myself, every day of my life.

I also learned that while truthful words, about myself, can be hard to hear, they are necessary for me to grow as an individual. Hurtful and mean words, however, are just meant to tear another person down. I have learned that there is a difference between the two. I hope that you see it, too.

What can you gain from this? Think about what you say before you say it. Then, think about how you would feel if someone said the same words to you. I’m just betting that you wouldn’t be so quick to say them, either.