Cathy got placed in a situation recently which at first broke her heart. Then it propelled her into action.
Lady A (Cathy knows everyone in this story) emailed Lady B. In the email, Lady A made some critical remarks about Lady C. Lady B sent out a group email to a large number of women. In it, she accidentally sent the original email from Lady A. Lady C is in the group.
Lady C then sent out her own email to the group expressing her extreme hurt and anger at what Lady A had said. Cathy knows and deeply cares for both these ladies and was driven to tears by the severity of what she was reading. "What should I do?" Cathy asked.
After consideration, she immediately wrote to Lady A. By then, Lady A had expressed her embarrassment and sorrow for what she had said and the hurt she caused. Cathy knows about the experience of letting words escape and wishing to goodness she could get them back.
I know, too. Do you?
Anyway, Cathy wrote, expressing her love and support of Lady A.
That's not all. Lady C lives nearby. Cathy, having chosen how to respond, went to Lady C's home to express her support for her, too. In both instances she encouraged the ladies to work through the problem. She even offered to help.
What would you have done?
"God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9 New Living Translation)
3 comments:
I guess "Let them fight it out" is not really an option! I do think that often our response is to sit on the sidelines or even in the fray and watch what may take place - we don't want to get involved and have to pick sides. What is great about Cathy's example is that she did pick sides, theirs! Because she loved both women, she acted.
We will all have times when words slip out, or our actions hurt those we know. Sometimes we are able to go and ask for forgiveness quickly, and sometimes we need someone to help us see how our words or actions affected another and work to bring us back together.
I hope that as that happens with me, I have a friend that will love and act for both of us!
I think she handled it beautifully. It's such a tough situation, and one that won't be quickly forgotten by anyone! When you accidentally hit that "Reply All" button once, it definitely sticks in your memory....
Don, I loved your comment: "she did pick sides, theirs!" Great insight on dealing with conflict -- thanks!
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