The Joy of Compassion
We interact with people everyday, and they can be rewarding or challenging, inspiring or infuriating. How do you respond? Key: when interacting with a difficult person, you choose to think compassionate thoughts. You choose compassion because it is a biblically sound virtue that consequently produces biblically sanctioned fruit.
Here's the basis of “fluent compassion” instead of suppressing or expressing negative emotions, you can extend compassion toward the person who seems to be the source of negativity in the first place. So graciously give them the benefit of the doubt.
When people respond negatively, attribute it to something they are dealing with that you know about. It is helpful to remember that when someone treats you harshly, it says much more about him or her than you. But how you respond reveals your character!
Remember when your interpretations change, so do your emotions.