Not too long ago I was sitting in the waiting room of a lab getting some blood work done when I noticed a simple sign on the wall. Naturally, I read it while the nurse typed my information into the system. Drawn in by it’s message, I asked her if she had placed the note on the wall. “Oh yes,” she replied. “You see when I started here in January everyone was so angry all the time. People were screaming like crazy at each other and I understood, because they were sick or worried or both, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I prayed to God to ask for some help and then I decided to share this message.”
The note read:
“Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. It takes grace not to return evil for evil, but to say or do something positive instead. When we succeed in doing so, we gradually become of one mind and then all of us inherit a blessing.”
She told me that she placed this same note in every room in the office and almost immediately the entire atmosphere of the office changed. There was quiet, there was patience, there was peace. At times the note provoked comments but mostly people read it in silence, allowing the words to seep into their consciousness. Then, people began asking her for copies. Doctors in the building put the note up in their waiting rooms. There was no more arguing.
The passage is from the Bible, but what struck me about this note was it’s simplicity. Not a mention of the particular origin (1 Peter 3:8), no fancy branding or even a simple frame. It was just taped to the wall, crumbled a bit from all the trips to the copy machine.
This was an invisible miracle. So simple. So lovely.
Are you tired of endless bickering? Annoyed by pettiness? Don’t you long for simple decency between people, tinged with kindness and compassion? I do.
I have a proposition for you. I have attached a copy of this note, replicated to the best of my ability. If you have a toxic environment that you want to help change for the better, try placing this note on the wall (preferably when no one is around to see you do it!). I wonder what will happen? This is a silent experiment. This world needs a heavy dose of serenity right now so see if you can silently spread some light. And by all means, let me know what happens! Good luck!
Click Here to Download the note.
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P.P.S. Seeking for the skills to deal with challenging conversations with compassion and patience? Check out my Challenging Conversations eBook Freebie!
