In this day and age, we expect instant gratification, deserve everything for Free with no work attached, and make quick decisions based on our opinion and not the reality of the situation.
For years I know people who make a decision on how I feel, what I am saying or what I am not saying, when they REALLY don't know me. Sometimes an opinion is formed by my facial expressions or an innocent word. From that expression the feeling is that I am mad or put off with the issue or thought.
In reality and all honesty, the majority of the time I am hurt. Words spoken can be so vicious and the person saying them does not have any idea that they are hurtful. One person some time ago just said, "I say what I say to you just as it comes out of my mouth and you just need to get over it." I did not remain their friend for an extended period of time.
When I am hurt, I clam up because that was how I was raised and can not get past that to speak out. If my father said something to me that hurt me emotionally, I recall hearing him say, "Get over it and grow up." So I just kept my emotions to myself and would release the emotion by myself at the creek or in the barn. Trust me, my cattle and my dog, Rusty, saw the real me growing up as I could not shed a tear in public. Another part of my growth process was that if I cried as a child, my Dad would give me a few moments to cry and then would say, "Stop crying or I will give you something to cry about." I never cried publicly until at my Grandma Canter's funeral in 1974. I learned to internalize everything and still today I can not tell someone they hurt me. I just go off by myself to work it out. Crying publicly is a release process which has become a part of who I am. But not when I am hurt.
Now I do get frustrated at things and people but 90% of the time, I am hurt when I clam up and look angry. Nevertheless, I know that there are times when people are mis-read and they may present an emotion which is masked.
Many times I have an answer to how to change a part of life, but this one will probably be with me until I die. I learned a long time ago that some things my parents did, thinking they were helping me to grow strong, gave me an inner softness that only God gets to see. I pray often that my children will forgive me for things that impacted their lives in a negative way.
Yes, I cry at movies, singing some songs, watch someone being saved, and sad movies but to say the words you hurt me comes hard. Guess that is something more that God has to work on. His list is long for me already, so I will keep singing the children's song. Here's the reminder for all of us. Cute kids. He's Still Workin' on Me