Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearer. (Ephesians 4:29)

A faculty member at a university once became very distraught over the weaknesses of a particular administrator with whom he had a negative relationship. He allowed himself to think about the man constantly. Hateful, negative thoughts so preoccupied him that it affected the quality of his relationships with his family, his church and his colleagues. He finally concluded that he needed to leave the university and find a teaching position somewhere else.

A friend asked him, “Wouldn’t you really prefer to teach at this university if the man were not here?” “Of course,” the teacher replied, “but as long as he is here, then my staying is too disruptive to everything in life. I have to go.”

The friend then asked, “Why have you made this administrator the center of your whole life?” As much as the teacher tried to deny the truth of this, he finally had to admit that he had allowed one individual and his weaknesses to distort his entire of view of life. Still, it was not the administrator’s doing–it was his own. From that day forward. He focused on his students and his teaching...and he found new joy in his “old job.”

When we focus on running down others, we are usually the ones who end up being run down.

Blessed Compassionate Creator, may we focus on You and the positives in our lives that You have given us, rather than the negative things we see around us!