Monday; February 4


          What should we do when someone makes a blatantly incorrect statement about us?  Some people might believe that, as spiritual people, we should just forgive them and ignore it, but is that irresponsible?  Others might advocate that we take an aggressive approach and destroy the creditably of the speaker so they won’t pull something like that again – and if they do, no one will believe them.  Like most things, I believe the proper response is somewhere in the middle:
          When someone makes an unfounded comment about us we should:
1).  Confront the comment.  Ignoring inaccurate information can soil our reputation and start a snowball of misinformation.  Yes, we should seek to practice forgiveness and move on, but there are times we must meet falsehoods head on.
2).  Correct the comment with the truth.  We aren’t talking about opinions and perceptions.  I don’t know that we can counteract someone’s feelings about us, but if they make a false statement, we should bring the truth to light.
3).  Figure out why someone would said what they did about us.  Was it a mistake or was in an intentional ploy to destroy our reputation?  Was it that they merely misspoke or were they citing someone else’s false information? 
          When someone makes a false accusation, let’s do our best to not take it personally or emotionally.  Let’s do what we can to keep the record and our relationships open and honest.
Think About It!

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