I’ve noticed that people tend to treat others the way they were treated, whether they are aware of it or not…

People lash out because they have been or have been perceived to be attacked; people verbally abuse others because they received verbal abuse; people shut down because they have been shut out.

And while experience seems to be the most powerful teacher I have been starting to wonder if it is the most effective or if it is the best because in this setting, you can choose to learn whatever you want to or whatever is most convenient. You go to school to learn specific things to help you attain material success in life, but when life experiences make an appearance what you learn seems to be objective. You have a choice as to how you are going to treat the information given to you in both instances, however. Either you are going to do something about it and make yourself better, or you are going to let the lesson fall by the wayside.

The former choice allows for growth, positivity, truth, and success. The latter, mediocrity and sometimes self-destruction. Plain and simply. But here is the complex part of all of that: life lessons aren’t as direct as academic lessons. As a by-product we can give everything we have been given… we can begin to adopt the beliefs that other people have about us… we can become bitter… we can let the pain fester… we can choose to vindicate ourselves for everything we have ever been through… we can adopt self-righteousness and believe the world owes us. All of those things, AT ALL TIMES, lead to self-destruction.. and all of these things can plant the seed of self-destruction in others.

But just as easily as the seed of self-destruction can be planted, so can the seed of life and/or a times, resurrection. I was reminded recently that we have everything we need inside of us to live lives as contently and abundantly as we would like to. That is, if we tap into our souls and believe we were created for and with a great purpose. We can choose to tear ourselves AND each other down because of what we have been through or we can choose the lift ourselves AND each other up IN SPITE of what we have been through. We can give others life or take it all away just with the power of words and actions.

The choice is yours, survivors. We should all take a look at what kinds of seeds we are planting and, with growth, strive to have the ability to discern what kinds of seeds others are planting because in the same way people can treat others badly for what has been done TO them, people can treat others well because of what has been done FOR them. Let’s make an effort to replace the seed of self-destruction with a seed of grace.

Peace and blessings to you all.