The High Road

“Resentment is like taking a poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

-- Malachy McCourt, actor, author

A fundamental litmus test of our faith might be how we respond to people who make our blood to boil: people who oppose our ideas, misconstrue what we say, treat others badly.  You have a few of those people in your life, don’t you?

And are you sympathetic when these people misunderstand you? Are you warm and gracious in the face of bitterness? Are you forgiving when forgiveness appears to be undeserved?

If you are like most people, the answer is sometimes, but not always, and actually, not nearly enough.  Batting .300 is great in baseball, but not so good when it comes to treating those who agitate you with kindness and respect.

Our faith requires a much higher batting average, perhaps best achieved by approaching these situations as a team player.  In other words, urge those around you to take the high road and not get sucked in by negative energy.  By encouraging others, no doubt your own level of play will be elevated.