RELATION & RELATIONSHIPS - 7 (DO NOT HUMILIATE YOUR LOVED ONES)

“And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable...” – I Samuel 1:6

Few days back I went to a particular church for the first time as I was invited by someone to attend. The preacher started preaching about the heart of children and how we should become like children to inherit God’s kingdom. He really preached nicely and I learnt new truths through him.

As he was preaching to demonstrate the truth he was speaking he went to a corner where a small boy was sitting and playing. He took hold of his hand in force and brought him to the front. And he made him to walk with him to all the corners of the church. Though the little boy was surprised he walked along with the preacher wherever he took him. 

Then the preacher tried to pull down his trouser but that little boy didn’t allow that. The preacher tried it in force and the boy did his best to stop that but yet he failed and so he started crying. The preacher demonstrated the truth in a different way and the members of the church reacted to the demonstration and they clapped. But the little boy who felt he was humiliated saw the way people clapped, cried more thinking they are also humiliating him. 

The preacher gave that little boy back to his mother and he continued preaching. No one bothered about that little boy but as I looked at him he was crying and crying with all his heart. He could not stop his tears as he was humiliated in front of nearly hundred people. His mother tried to console him but all her efforts went in vain. That little boy nearly cried for twenty minutes and even after that I could not see any joy in his face. 

The way the boy was humiliated in front of others made him to feel bad and he was deeply hurt within his heart. I know for sure if the same preacher goes near to him again he will surely start crying immediately because of the inner hurt. 

My dear young friends, do not humiliate your loved ones privately or publicly. If we read 1 Samuel first chapter we can understand that Penninah humiliated Hannah several times. That made the life of Hannah miserable. But when she took her sorrow to God in prayer, she was filled with God’s blessings. Do not make someone’s life miserable through your words or deeds. 

When I was a small boy I never bothered about the feelings of others. But Jesus Christ taught me so many things later when I was young and He changed my inner being for His glory. During those days when I was a small boy my cousin used to visit our home often. My mother has two younger sisters and he is one of their sons. 

He lost his father when he was so little and so they lived in poverty. Compared to them we were little bit wealthy and at that time our family got a coupon to visit an amusement park. It was free for only one person and so my father decided to take me along with him. 

Before that we had told my cousin that we will take him also. He was one year younger to me and we were like friends. My mother said to me that if I like I can take him also. So we took him along with us to the amusement park. 

I did a terrible thing that day for which I felt so ashamed. He was a fatherless person. Throughout that day I was telling him that he is visiting the amusement park because of me only. I humiliated him privately and publicly throughout that day. 

When we returned back he ran to his mother and cried badly telling all that I have told him. Thereafter our relationship was not smoother for few months. Then as I felt bad about it I went to him and talked to him and as we were little boys we forgot that and moved on. 

But even today when I think about that day I feel so bad for the way I behaved. I know I had hurt him badly. Years passed and we were good friends even today but yet I remember that incident.

My dear young friends, do not ever try to humiliate someone whom you love knowingly or unknowingly, publicly or privately. If you humiliate someone around you it will create an everlasting hurt in their heart and in your relationship with them. 

If you had humiliated someone before and if you feel bad for it today, go and talk to them. Ask for their forgiveness. Jesus Christ will help you. If you had got hurt because of somebody who had humiliated you, throw away the bitterness and take your hurt to God in prayer. Jesus Christ will heal you.