I wish everyone I came into contact with loved me without reservation. Unfortunately, I was forced into contact with someone for many years who didn’t love me at all. This person would pick fights with me, harass me, bully me, and cause much unnecessary conflict. Though this person called themselves a “Christ follower,” this person rejected all the rudimentary doctrines of the faith. When this person died several years ago, my stress level lessened considerably.

This is not normal. I regret and repent of my emotions. Though not everyone is my fan, I don’t feel this way about anyone today. No one else delivers that much stress nor generates such negative emotions in me.

But I learned a lot from this person about how not to exist and behave. The Lord needed me to see and experience this terrible example. Also, since I was victimized, I have a special heart for Christians who suffer under other Christians acting like anything but. I also realize that as intense as my feelings were, I “got nothin’” in comparison to those suffering true persecution.

Your turn:

Have you written about an intensely negative experience or person?

What did your character learn?

What did you learn?

What would you want your readers to learn from such negativity?