What would Jesus Do to Help a Toxic Person Become More Sensitive?
A toxic person creates tension in a room. A toxic person will take the wind out of your sails and break your spirit and hope. They know just which of your buttons to push and when. They are never happy and seem to draw cheer to themselves in making you feel terrible about yourself. They wield a serpent’s tongue in delivering a verbal type of poison to almost anyone who crosses their path.
Almost everyone has a bad day, where they say something to someone that they might later regret. These are usually fleeting occurrences, however. But almost everyone also knows someone who is consistently difficult. A toxic person’s behavior doesn’t change, and they don’t regret their comments. It is crucial that toxic people learn to recognize their behavior and reign it in if they are ever to experience a positive self-esteem and be happy in their own lives.
Dealing with Toxic People
Jesus wanted his followers to break the cycle of violence and not perpetuate it. In Matthew 5:38-41, He says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
This is not to say that you should accept the behavior of a toxic person. In essence, Jesus is simply explaining how you can handle toxic people. Do not give them the satisfaction of showing them that their words have been able to damage you. In fact, try not to let them damage you by using this method to deflect their negative comments. In doing this, a toxic person is, in essence, defeated in their attempt to injure you, and the more that it happens, hopefully the more a toxic person will take notice and start to change.
Try Passivity
Another way to keep a toxic person from ruining your happy thoughts is to be passive. Do not let yourself become a doormat and allow a toxic person walk all over you. That will not accomplish your goal. Rather, the best response to toxic behavior is no response.
A toxic person cannot take any joy from the barbs they launch if people don’t let them have an effect. When they begin to experience your inaction, your lack of response, your silence in response to a biting comment, you have disarmed them.
When this happens enough, a toxic person may eventually begin to throw fewer and fewer verbal barbs, because they aren’t deriving any pleasure from doing it. In fact, this can even be a way to get a difficult person to realize what they have been doing, and just maybe, over time, begin to change their ways.
