How do you respond to situations of violent hatred, where you are at the brunt of others’ attacks, merited or not—backstabbings, one-upmanship, micro-aggressive behaviors, and being overlooked or put down at work?

A first response is to reach out for help, pray for safety, physical immunity from hatred’s harm for myself and my loved ones. Indeed, this is a legitimate response. But often our reaction or feeling then is to “get back” even though we know this might be harmful for ourselves and those whom we care for. If we are not careful, however, we could face severe consequences.

An effective counterstrategy, and something we almost never consider, however, is to guard our soul—the very thing that sustains inner being, is unique to each person and will last for eternity beyond the flesh, the part of ourself that defines our unique personality, that which defines desire, appetite for life, emotion, and passion, inner being. Why? A well-guarded soul is a key to consistently make good decisions in keeping with core creator values that we will never regret. The core of a person’s creative being is the creative soul. A creative soul is a created soul. The one who created the creative soul is the one who can truly deliver. 

Consider, 

When faced with the hate of others pray for strength for your soul. It’s a matter of prioritizing your fears. And this can change everything. 

According to Eugene Peterson’s translation, “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands. (Matthew 10:28).

Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash. Thank you!