April 13, 2018
By Yang Han
I am not fond of overhearing others’ conversations because I think it is impolite. Unexpectedly, one day I actually overheard one.
I Overheard a Conversation
I share an apartment with two friends. One day when I was writing in the living room, I felt a little upset because of a problem I encountered and wanted to get some fresh air to relax myself on the balcony. As the window of my friends’ bedroom opened onto the balcony, hardly had I gotten to the balcony when I heard my two friends talking: “I feel Yang Han is very self-righteous and conceited, and she likes competing with others….” “One day Sister Yun told me that she was very snobbish…. Probably she herself hasn’t notice these yet….” Hearing these words, I felt extremely upset with anger welling up within. And I thought: How could you speak ill of me behind my back? If you really treat me as your friends, why not point out my shortcomings to my face and help me improve rather than talk about me behind my back? At the thought of this, I really wanted to question them or just push the door open and hear what else they would say. Yet I finally refrained myself as I thought of these words in the Bible: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22). From these words, I knew that God asked us not to get angry and lose our temper but to learn to tolerate and be patient when we are associating with others.