Written by: Lana Poljak Branisavljević
FREE FROM ANOTHER’S EVIL
Man is a being that recognises his existence only by observing himself in a relationship with others. We are directed to one another and other people are necessary to us. Each one of us entered this world precisely through the union of man and woman, our parents. Some of us have siblings. Some are married and have children. We all have near and far relatives, friends from childhood, school, faculty, and colleagues at work… We are surrounded by people everywhere…
There are people around us who ennoble us, enrich us, understand us, listen to us and comfort us, they are our security and support…
But near us, there are also people who hurt us deeply, hurt our soul with insults, belittled us and ran over our dignity. Their words are carved into our remembrance and memory… Oh, how painful that is, isn’t it?
Stop for a moment.
Remember… nobody was born evil, in the soul of every man at the moment of his creation love and goodness of the Creator were woven. But, every one of us is wounded through life because of different circumstances, our spiritual health is truncated, faulty, evil tricked us so many times… And from that suffering, we react to one another.
Do you notice that exactly that man beside you who yells, accuses, insults, and attacks, is the biggest sufferer?
There is a big inability built up in him and he can’t resist evil by himself. He would like to be good, but he is weak. How many times did you want to change the other? Your parents, husband, wife, children, friends…Have you succeeded in it?
We all fall into a trap to shape another according to our projects and our criteria. You can’t, dear readers, change another if you are telling him how he should be or pointing out where he is wrong. The change begins to happen solely from you. And that change can start right now.
You are at gain, you don’t lose anything by it, on contrary, releasing an insult or critic from yourself you become free, you are not bound to anything, you can look calmly into the eye of everyone. As if life flows through you once again.
Are you ready to experience that?
Decide that from today you won’t talk badly about that person, that you won’t gossip about her, analyse her evil. Can you find a ray of compassion for that sufferer beside you?
Can you peep underneath that terrifying mask that he put on himself and see a fragile being that wants love and gentleness?
There is something good in every man, in the biggest criminal as well. That man is your opportunity and chance. And don’t forget, in order to love firstly run into the arms of the One who will fill your heart with love so that you can be capable to give that love to others.
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Born in Zagreb. Married, mother of two children. By profession master of social work, employed at the Retirement Home in Zagreb. As a high school student, in 1998 she came to the Centre for Spiritual Help in Zagreb seeking help in dealing with her own existential fears. At the same time as going to hagiotherapy, she participates in seminars for new evangelization and since then she has been inextricably linked to the activities of the Community Prayer and Word and the Centre for Spiritual Help in Zagreb, where she has been a volunteer since 2000. She is currently working as a hagioassistant.