n 1 : a shot taken from ambush or at a random or easy target 2 : a critical remark made in a random or sporadic manner
There will always be people around who take potshots at you. Especially the more success you have. As you take hold of your life and begin to live a life of progress rather than regress, someone will always be there to say, "Well I know something about him..." or "I don't like this about her..." Spreading rumors or even just planting a seed of doubt into someone's mind about someone else is the easiest thing in the world to do. That's why it gives that sensation of accomplishment to the speaker, twisted though it may be. It suddenly turns a conversation from being positive about someone else to, "Hey, look at me, I'm here! Notice me!" The information shared may even be truth or, more often, half-truth, but the motivation of the speaker is always negative.
You know the best response to potshots? Ignore them. Yes, easy to say, much, much harder to do. If you ignore them, you don't fan the flames, you don't empower them; you rise above their ridiculous behavior. So hard to do when lies are being said about you, but you could never control all the things people say anyway, so why try? Here is a simple formula for dealing with potshots of all kinds...
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1. Ignore them.
Have whatever private reaction you may need -- a burst of anger, a good cry -- but, let it end with a quick prayer for strength and then, let it go.
2. Always acknowledge your humanity.
You know you're not perfect. You're not even trying to be perfect. So, in your everyday goings-on, be quick to acknowledge the truth about yourself: you struggle, you fight insecurities, you cry, you experience loss, you experience remorse, you make mistakes. None of us has anything to boast about. Our success is all thanks to God. You are simply living life the best you can under His authority.
3. Continually humble yourself before God.
Humility is one of the corner posts of a truly "Christian" life. The Bible is full of references to humility and the follies of arrogance. There is a scathing passage in Matthew 23 where Jesus addresses this topic. I kindof envision verses 11 and 12 in flashing neon!: "The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (NLT) James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." (NLT) If you will continually humble yourself before God, he will take care of everything else.
4. Stay on course.
When you have humbled yourself before God, you can be sure of what you are doing. I love Proverbs 4:25-27: "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." (NIV)
And, finally: 5. Don't take potshots at other people!
Matthew 7:12 always applies: "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." (NLT) We should be careful that the bad behavior of others doesn't influence us in any way to stoop to their level. Our natural reaction when we hear of potshots taken at us is to firstly, defend ourselves and secondly, react in response -- which often is to say something bad about them. Fight the "natural" reaction and do the right thing instead.
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Potshots are just that -- potshots!
--Stupid, easy, elementary, cowardly, snarky comments intended to bring you down to the level of the speaker -- who is motivated by jealousy, envy, self-centeredness, arrogance, laziness, or most simply, just plain-old meanness. It's one of the truly ugly sides to humanity, but see it for what it is and don't let it affect you in any way!
c2010 Lorenda Houston
