‘I worked with a girl who loathed me. I could tell she wanted to break my spirit. But my goal was to love her through it.’: Woman shows the power of kindness, ‘Love can heal a heart’

“I once worked with a girl who loathed me. I was young and perky, and she was older and a bit more seasoned in life. Something about my enthusiastic spirit made her just want to make my life harder, and it showed.

So every time we worked together, she would critique my work, tell me everything I did wrong, and conveniently leave out anything I did well. And if I’m honest, it almost felt like her mission each day was to make my day worse.

I could tell she wanted to break my spirit, but for some reason, early on God sweetly shielded me with the understanding her life had been hard, and my goal was to love her through it no matter how much she acted like she hated me.

So if she rolled her eyes, I would act like I didn’t see it. And if she ignored me in the hall, I would say hi anyway. And if she said my writing was bad, I’d just take her critiques, say thank you, and leave her office with a smile.

But one day, I saw a shift begin in her. When I matched her rudeness with a smile, she smiled back. Another day, when I told her good morning, instead of ignoring me, she said good morning back.

And slowly but surely, I felt like she went from being my enemy to my friend. Soon she stopped being hard on my work and started telling me what she liked in me.

After many months of getting closer and closer, the time came for me to leave the office, and on my last day, she pulled me into her office and told me, ‘Thank you.’

When I asked her what for, she told me I had reminded her she was loveable and had begun to love herself again.

I hugged her before leaving the office and left with her in my heart for months to come; because she taught me the love of Jesus can heal.

Because HIS love can break through pain and take down guards, remind others of who they are in HIM, and remind them they deserve love, too.

So tonight, if you have someone in your life who is resisting your care at all costs, but you can tell they are hurting…here’s your reminder love can heal a heart. So keep loving like Jesus, even when it’s hard.

Love,
Quinn”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Quinn Kelly of Houston, TX. You can follow her journey on  Instagram, Facebook, and follow her Podcast. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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