My dear sister in christ emailed this to me and I wanted to share.
I heard this years ago and I'm still learning it and I pray that this statement is a help to each one of you also.
God doesn't hold us responsible for the circumstances (things and situations beyond our control) in our lives. He does hold us responsible for how we respond to them.
Think about that for awhile.
With that thought in mind; always try to do the right thing even if the other person does not respond favorably (in the right way). Your soul, mind and body will thank you for doing right. I know! That doesn't mean that you stick around people who hurt you; don't. That's abusive behavior and God doesn't want us to be treated that way. So don't put yourself in a position for others to intentionally hurt you. Don't look for trouble; it will find you. If you find yourself in a troubled moment ask God to help you escape it or deal with it in a way that is pleasing to Him and beneficial to you.
I too would like for others to behave in a right manner towards you but unfortunately that isn't the world in which we live. We live in a fallen world full of sin and sinful people.
However we don't have to choose to live their way (which is very unhappy). We can ask Jesus (God) to help us to live our lives in such a way that is pleasing to Him. Then we're truly happy people.
Whenever I'm following this advice I'm truly happy. Sometimes we make mistakes along our life's journey. When we recognize that we're misbehaving we can ask Jesus to forgive us; then He helps us to do the right thing. God gave us parents and grandparents to help guide us. Keep in mind that parents and grandparents aren't perfect people either. So pray for us. Pray that God will help us live in a way that pleases Him so we can give you proper guidance. My parents aren't perfect people but I'm very glad to have them in my life! I thank God for them even when I don't like something they did or do not do. There still my parents perfect or not; I respect them, love them and need to pray for them. The choice is our's to make---whether or not we respect others. Keep in mind why you choose to treat others with respect. If we do it merely to receive good behavior we may be disappointed with alot of people. Not everyone will respond in like manner. We must remember that the real reason we treat others rightly is because we want to be peace makers not trouble makers.
There are levels of respect. We can be civil with most all people; but most people need to earn our deepest respect. The book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of excellent instruction on how we should live our lives and deal with certain situations. The Bible is a wonderful guide book. The Bible clearly demonstrates the consequences of individual and group behavior.
I'd hope that all of us behave well most of the time. We can acheive this by asking God to help us learn to do the right things---then do them.
I want you to know I love you and pray for you. May you have a wonderfully good day!
Your, Dear Sister In Christ
I hope you have found some encouragement in this as well!
Mrs.Carrot | 
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Aug. 26, 2007 - Very encouraging.
Blessings.
Ginny