A few weeks ago, I had a young relative over. I knew he would be bored so I allowed him to play my PlayStation 3, under my supervision. While he was playing, he was being quite wild with the controller and would keep on sticking his head in front of me to look at my laptop screen to view my Facebook page and whatnot. I gave him several warnings to stop doing that and to listen to me, as I am older and he was intentionally being bothersome. I was typing something in and he messed with my keyboard a little bit and said "I'm going to hit enter" and I said to him very sternly, "Do not hit enter, if you do, then you will be in trouble."; well, he hit enter so I got up and turned the PlayStation off and told him that he could not play at all for the rest of the time he was at my house.
He began asking me incessantly to allow him to play but I said "no" multiple times. I then asked him if he thought asking me over and over again was helping him or if he thought he was annoying me; he said it was probably annoying me. I asked him why he would annoy somebody that he trying to get something from. I told him that he should listen to his elders the first time they tell them to do something and not bother them in any way. I said that I would still not allow him to play PlayStation, even though he was now being obedient and apologetic. I told him that this was a lesson for him to learn and not do the same things to anybody else. He started asking, begging and pleading to let me play PlayStation. It occurred me that I have control over something this child wants and I should not exploit that.
I started to put myself in his position and thought "What if I was pleading to somebody else for another chance?"; but who could I possibly beg anybody for anything? All of the sudden, it hit me; I think one day, some day I will be in his shoes. I will be begging Allah (swt) (God) for forgiveness and mercy when that time comes when I am judged for all of my bad and good deeds I committed in this life. I will cry, scream and do everything I can to taste the great mercy from Allah (swt). Will I get it, will I be blessed with it? I don't know. Who am I to deny somebody a second chance when I have asked for second, third, fourth, seventh, etc. chances from God only to go back to the error of my old ways?
In teaching a lesson to someone, I myself learned a great lesson. Remember to show mercy and forgiveness to those who you can. Remember the position that you are in as an adult or as a person that has power over somebody else. Act with a sense of divinity and remember the amazing qualities that Allah (swt) has, which we can benefit from.
He began asking me incessantly to allow him to play but I said "no" multiple times. I then asked him if he thought asking me over and over again was helping him or if he thought he was annoying me; he said it was probably annoying me. I asked him why he would annoy somebody that he trying to get something from. I told him that he should listen to his elders the first time they tell them to do something and not bother them in any way. I said that I would still not allow him to play PlayStation, even though he was now being obedient and apologetic. I told him that this was a lesson for him to learn and not do the same things to anybody else. He started asking, begging and pleading to let me play PlayStation. It occurred me that I have control over something this child wants and I should not exploit that.
I started to put myself in his position and thought "What if I was pleading to somebody else for another chance?"; but who could I possibly beg anybody for anything? All of the sudden, it hit me; I think one day, some day I will be in his shoes. I will be begging Allah (swt) (God) for forgiveness and mercy when that time comes when I am judged for all of my bad and good deeds I committed in this life. I will cry, scream and do everything I can to taste the great mercy from Allah (swt). Will I get it, will I be blessed with it? I don't know. Who am I to deny somebody a second chance when I have asked for second, third, fourth, seventh, etc. chances from God only to go back to the error of my old ways?
In teaching a lesson to someone, I myself learned a great lesson. Remember to show mercy and forgiveness to those who you can. Remember the position that you are in as an adult or as a person that has power over somebody else. Act with a sense of divinity and remember the amazing qualities that Allah (swt) has, which we can benefit from.
This post has made me think. About how sometimes I don't give second chances and that people I care about don't give me second chances. I don't forgive others easily. How can I change that? How can I forgive others when sometimes I don't forgive myself?
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