When I see a quote(s) from Mother Teresa or any other saint quote such as Mother Teresa said “Let no one come to you without them leaving happier”.
What if I don’t agree with what people are doing? Am I supposed to ignore it and be nice to them even if they don’t deserve it???
Thank you
Well, first, if they “come to you,” that’s different than just being in the same place/group at the same time and seeing bad behavior. The person who seeks your company is probably going to be someone with whom you have some level of influence. When the person is a friend, you usually will be able to respectfully mention some behavior you don’t like or agree with, but also probably keep the relationship intact, and let them leave feeling that you still like and appreciate them as a friend.
I really dislike the word “nice” and try to avoid “being nice” to people. I think it implies people-pleasing and being agreeable to nearly anything to avoid any conflict, and that’s not truly loving or respectful of others, yourself, or God. That may or may not be what you meant; it’s just what I think when I hear, “be nice.”
In Christian love, we should try to want the best for others–what will truly help them get to Heaven–and sometimes that’s not what’s going to feel “nice.”
We often think of being “happy” as
feeling pleasure, so we may think we should tolerate bad things to avoid making people feel bad or uncomfortable about what they’re doing… and I don’t think that’s what Mother Teresa meant. And I don’t think she meant we can
always make everyone feel happier, either. After all, Jesus didn’t follow the young rich man who didn’t want to give up his riches and say, “oh, go ahead and keep them if it makes you happy,” nor did He call back those who couldn’t accept His difficult teachings and make them “happy” by giving them an easier option. He did not tolerate sin or avoid making people uncomfortable when the situation called for it.
I think Mother Teresa simply meant that in general, we should not bring others down with doom and gloom, that our focus should be on our love and hope in Christ–and sharing with others that hope and love. We should live our faith joyfully, let others see that we are truly free and happy with God in our lives (and without the sinful things that only provide temporary pleasure). If that’s reflected in our attitude, then others can’t help but feel that in our presence, and hopefully a little of it will “rub off” on them, too.
