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No hostility
Staggering under the influence of alcohol, a neighboring tenant came out of her apartment one evening as I walked by with my dog. She began a very hostile tirade claiming that everyone in the apartment complex resented me. I returned home quite upset and immediately began to pray about my reactive hurt and my fear that hatred could have an effect on me or my tenancy.
I began praying with a sentence from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment, if virtue and truth build a strong defence” (pp. 234–235). I also thought of, “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you” (Science and Health, p. 571).
These truths were calming and reassuring, but in the morning, I was still upset. I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of talking to my landlord, as this had not been fruitful in the past. I knew this woman and another female tenant were good friends with the landlord, and when there had been problems, he would attempt to justify her behavior and apparent anger.
About the author
Sylvia Messner lives in Cave Creek, Arizona.
