How to Love Difficult People: Receiving and Sharing God’s Mercy

How to Love Difficult People

Receiving and Sharing God’s Mercy

Prickly, defensive, nasty, volatile, withdrawn, miserable…aren’t there days when you feel surrounded by difficult people? How do you cope? You can try avoiding them, gossiping about them, or giving them a piece of your mind. But wait! Don’t your reactions make you hard to love too?  William P. Smith explains that learning how to deal with difficult people starts with understanding that God’s pursuing love is not just for them; it’s for you too. You need God’s love and forgiveness just as much as they do. Knowing the love of God will change your attitude, your goals, and your actions toward the difficult people in your life. And that just might encourage them to change too!

About the Author

William P. Smith, M.Div., Ph.D., is a pastor and director of the community counseling center at Chelten Baptist Church, Dresher, Pennsylvania. He has authored the books Loving Well (Even When You Haven’t Been) and Caught Off Guard: Encounters with the Unexpected God as well as numerous minibooks including How Do I Stop Losing It with My Kids? and How to Love Difficult People. Bill is regularly invited to speak at other churches and lead weekend retreats. He and his wife Sally are the parents of three very active children.

Other Books in the Series

-Angry Children: Understanding and Helping Your Child Regain Control by Michael R. Emlet
-Breaking the Addictive Cycle: Deadly Obsessions or Simple Pleasures? by David Powlison
-Can We Talk? The Art of Relationship Building by Rob Green
-Dealing with Rejection by Jack Miller
-Divorce Recovery: Growing and Healing God’s Way by Winston Smith
-Eating Disorders: The Quest for Thinness by Edward T. Welch
-Family Feuds: How to Respond by Timothy S. Lane
-Freedom from Addiction: Turning from Your Compulsive Behavior by Edward T. Welch
-Freedom from Resentment: Stopping Hurts from Turning Bitter by Robert D. Jones
-Grief: Finding Hope Again by Paul David Tripp
-Help for Stepfamilies: Avoiding the Pitfalls and Learning to Love by Winston T. Smith
-Hope for the Depressed: Beyond a Cheer Up Theology by Edward T. Welch
-I Just Want to Die: Replacing Suicidal Thoughts with Hope by David Powlison
-Leaving Your Family Behind: Preparing for Military Deployment by Rob Green
-Making Friends: Beyond Loneliness to Rich Relationships by Dee Brestin
-Overcoming Anxiety: Relief for Worried People by David Powlison
-Peer Pressure: Recognizing the Warning Signs and Giving New Direction by Paul David Tripp
-PTSD: Healing for Bad Memories by Timothy Lane
-Restoring Your Broken Marriage: Healing after Adultery by Robert D. Jones
-Sex Before Marriage: How Far is Too Far? by Timothy S. Lane
-Sexual Assault: Healing Steps for Victims by David Powlison
-Should We Get Married?: How to Evaluate Your Relationship by William P. Smith
-Single Parents: Daily Grace for the Hardest Job by Robert D. Jones
-When Bad Things Happen: Thoughtful Answers to Hard Questions by William P. Smith
-When the Money Runs Out: Hope and Help for the Financially Stressed by James C. Petty
-When Your Kid’s in Trouble: How to Intervene Constructively by William P. Smith