Many real estate agents will get frustrated with the actions of their associates or their clients. Shoot, even here on Active Rain Members poke at other Members. What to think of all this in the world? Well, when people are mean or inconsiderate it usually means they are hurting inside from something in the past or just some bad habit they picked up along the way. Only they can change themselves and mildly, maybe, you can influence them. But the error in our looking external all the time at other people is THAT is NOT what we can change.
Look Inside For Change But Still You May Be An Onion Lady.
We truly can only change ourselves. Those binoculars need to be flipped around on their end and we examine our own inside. Our interior motives, weaknesses and flaws. That's where the real emphasis needs to lie. But it is tough work. We are slow, if not even unwilling to change our ways. How'd we get so stubborn? Who knows? But only we can fix ourselves.
To illustrate that sometimes we are what we are, here is the fable of the onion lady.
Once upon a time there was a peasant woman and a very wicked woman she was. And she died and did not leave a single good deed behind. The devils caught her and plunged her into the lake of fire. So her guardian angel stood and wondered what good deed of hers he could remember to tell to God; ‘She once pulled up an onion in her garden,' said he, ‘and gave it to a beggar woman.' And God answered: ‘You take that onion then, hold it out to her in the lake, and let her take hold and be pulled out. And if you can pull her out of the lake, let her come to Paradise, but if the onion breaks, then the woman must stay where she is.' The angel ran to the woman and held out the onion to her. ‘Come,' said he, ‘catch hold and I'll pull you out.' he began cautiously pulling her out. He had just pulled her right out, when the other sinners in the lake, seeing how she was being drawn out, began catching hold of her so as to be pulled out with her. But she was a very wicked woman and she began kicking them. ‘I'm to be pulled out, not you. It's my onion, not yours.' As soon as she said that, the onion broke. And the woman fell into the lake and she is burning there to this day. So the angel wept and went away. ~ Dostoevsky
So looking inside we should endeavor to love instead. What does love look like?
It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. This is what love looks like. ~ St. Augustine
Comments(26)