Twenty years ago I wrote:
Do you have any enemies? I, for one, don’t want enemies, but I know there are some folks out there who probably consider themselves to be enemies of mine. I don’t waste any time thinking about them much. Personally, I don’t consider anyone an enemy and just live my life.
It is difficult if not impossible to be friends with some folks, but it is a sure way to get rid of an enemy. Abraham Lincoln said, “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
I think we should try to be friends with everyone in as much as we can, and if there is no cooperation from the other side, don’t let it bother you. Not everyone is going to like you! Does that hurt to hear that? It doesn’t bother me because I don’t like everyone either.
One time an ex-employee of mine told me that they hated me while working for me. I had no idea. I had always felt as though we got along fine but go figure.
As I thought about this employee, I realized that while this remained a thistle under their saddle and the wound was always there and I suppose caused them to grind their teeth and make their stomach churn while they suffered, I was completely oblivious to it.
The moral to that story is that life is far too short to waste a single moment being dedicated to being someone’s enemy (or worrying about someone considering you to be an enemy.)
From what I understand this employee was angry because I had reprimanded them in a meeting for sloppy work. I don’t even remember the meeting. I do remember promoting this person several times throughout their history with the company. It is difficult to run a large company and I suppose I’m not very good at treating people with kid gloves, though I did try and treat them as I would like to be treated . . . And yes, if I made a mistake, I would expect to hear about it . . .
Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.