I heard a story
recently about a student named Donald MacDonald from the Isle of Skye (in
of residence in his first year there. His clan was so excited that one of their
own had made it into the upper class of education, but they were concerned how
he would do in “that strange land.” After the first month, his mother
came to visit.
“And how do
you find the English students, Donald?” she asked.
“Mother,”
he replied in his thick brogue. “They’re such terrible, noisy people. The
one on that side keeps banging his head against the wall, and won’t stop. The
one on the other side screams and screams and screams, away into the
night.”
“Oh Donald!
How do you manage to put up with these awful noisy English neighbors?”
“Mother, I do
nothing. I just ignore them. I just stay here quietly, playing my
bagpipes…”
Sometimes it helps
to realize that when we find people to be so irritating, it may well be that
they find us to be the same (and perhaps for better reason). Even deeds done
with the best of intentions can be irritating. Solomon said,
“He who
blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it will be
counted a curse to him.” (Proverbs 27:14).
I suppose we could
ask ourselves the question, “What am I doing that may be irritating others
around me?” But I think we would be better served to ask it in a more
positive way: “What am I doing to be a blessing to others around me?”
“A man has joy
by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it
is!” (Proverbs 15:23)
Have a great day!
Alan Smith
