I have a dear friend I communicate with every day via a video phone app. So when I felt incensed by something she said and considered not talking with her daily, I knew it would be a big change in her life as well as mine. I wasn’t sure that what I felt to be my entirely justifiable anger was worth the change in our friendship. 

My clenched stomach, however, would not let me just forget about her comments. Big feelings and angry objections swirled around in my thought. But I was wise enough to stop and think before I responded. I asked myself, “How would Jesus act in such a situation?” 

The Gospel of John relates an incident involving a woman condemned for sinning, in which Christ Jesus states that only an individual who had not sinned should be allowed to cast the first stone at her (see 8:1–11). This rebuke of self-righteousness protected the woman from harm when all of her accusers walked away without throwing a single stone. The fact that Jesus rebuked self-righteousness made me wonder if I needed to rebuke self-righteousness in myself. 

I felt that I was being led by God to consider humility. How could I express it? Should I? What would I be giving up if I were to act and think meekly?

The Bible encourages meekness in those who love God. In First Timothy, for instance, we read, “But thou, O man of God, . . . follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (6:11).

It felt so good to lose the anger, blame, and hurt, and to embrace humility, trust, and love.

I acknowledged that, with humility, I could concede that it was possible that my friend’s point of view was accurate. With that, I was able to let go of my initial reaction. It felt so good to lose the anger, blame, and hurt and to embrace humility, trust, and Christlike love. I felt free to express love toward my friend and was grateful to know that I wasn’t merely sweeping hurt feelings aside in order to maintain our friendship. 

These lines from the Christian Science Hymnal helped me define how I want to live my life and how I wanted to act in that inharmonious situation:

Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee. 
Take my every thought, to use
In the way that Thou shalt choose.
(Frances R. Havergal, No. 324, adapt. © CSBD) 

It felt so freeing to let go of defensiveness and feel love! And I’ve been trying to receive the world’s news with this same humility, which has been equally liberating. It has eliminated outrage in my responses and helped me maintain a sense of balance. God is All. Remembering this is a daily prayer that can shed healing light.