of making excuses for Tabitha . She is all grown up now , at least she ’ s supposed to be , and you all feel like it is past time for her to take more responsibility for her actions . Problem is , now that Tabitha is an adult , she has the same passive aggressive behavior along with a very bad attitude . This is no longer excusable to everyone else , because they have also grown and have their own families , problems and issues . Dealing with Tabitha ’ s inability to function in the real world and her lack of desire to please anyone but herself , is now a characteristic that her siblings as well as other people around her have grown weary of . Tabitha , however , is still little Tabitha who never could seem to get it together , and while she angers her family most of the time , they still love her and worry about her and don ’ t want to just blatantly hurt her feelings . It makes them all sad to hear of the comments that others make about her , yet she could care less that people talk about her . She automatically knows that her family loves her and will have her back no matter what , so she continues to live in the world all of her own . She has no real idea of how she hurts her family by being this way because she is so caught up in herself , and no one wants to tell her , so they just make their plans around her and go ahead and cover for her , and continue to defend her to others no matter how right they might be .
Dealing With This Type of Behavior Without Being “ The Bad Guy ”
When it comes to dealing with loved ones , especially siblings , it is almost impossible to bring out their faults without making them angry . It is human nature to hate correction and no matter how big or how small the problem , when it ’ s your problem , more often than not you will shun discussing the matter because you either don ’ t believe you have the fault or you don ’ t want someone else pointing it out to you .
It would actually be easier to discuss situations with strangers than your own family members . A stranger will normally be less quick to jump to their defense than someone you ’ ve known your whole life . A stranger can ’ t call out your faults because they don ’ t know you , but a sibling will ring out every single thing you have ever said or done before allowing you to bring their fault to the forefront . Most often it is these arguments that will prevent you from going to your Tabitha with your concerns . No one wants to fight and it is often easier to just disregard the problem than deal with it , however , the problem remains and can cause serious conflict between loved ones if not dealt with eventually .
So how do you take care of this situation without being the “ bad guy ”? First off , I would prepare to accept the role of “ bad guy ” should there be no other way to deal with the problem . If your being the “ bad guy ” helps someone you love to make a change for the better , wouldn ’ t you feel that it was worth it ? The anger might be grievous for a time , but if your Tabitha truly loves you , they will come around and be grateful to you in the long run .
Correction and Discipline are not popular words in this generation . Most people believe that they are even wrong . However , the Bible teaches us a much different conclusion of how correction affects the family . The passage aggressive person is often swift to speak and slow to listen simply because they don ’ t want to be corrected .
2 Timothy 3:16 “ All scripture is given by inspiration of God , and is profitable for doctrine , for reproof , for correction , for instruction in righteousness :”
The Bible is given to us as a road map to Heaven . We are instructed as to how to live , what to say and what to abstain from , etc . By following these directions , our lives are made so much simpler and less chaotic for the most part .
When the passive aggressive person will be willing to listen to the words of their loved ones and they will be willing to recognize their faults as real problems , then the concerned sibling will have a better chance of reaching them . Attacking Tabitha will never end well as she does not care what you have to say about her or how she acts , therefore , you must approach her in love and with a concerned attitude . Begin the conversation by letting her know how much you really care about her and her wellbeing and that you want to talk to her about something that is a problem for everyone . Try to start with as little disagreement as possible