How to Deal with Difficult People

Drenda Keesee • July 17, 2019

Let’s talk about sharks…

Stick with me, this is going somewhere.

I’m not talking about the kind of sharks you see on Shark Week. I’m talking about the kind of sharks you meet in the workplace, in relationships, and even at church. (Yikes!)

Have you ever met a difficult person?

Somebody who was hard to please, critical, controlling, negative, or even rude?

Did a few people come to mind as soon as you read that?

When we meet sharks (note: it’s not usually obvious), we often try to jump through hoops to keep them happy. Been there, got the t-shirt, went back and got a few thousand more.

Gary and I have had to swim with many, many, MANY sharks in business, ministry, relationships, and friendships. During the first few years of running our business, our life often looked like a shark-feeding frenzy.

Honestly, a lot of it was my own fault.

Because I used to be a serial people pleaser. I hated making people unhappy.

Saying no was hard for me. Disappointing people was hard for me. Both of those things made running a business and ministry really hard for me.

When I met somebody who wasn’t happy with me, it became my personal mission to make them change their mind. Hello, can you say disaster waiting to happen?

I was performing for their approval.

It was like dropping blood in the middle of the ocean.

Sharks seemed to be coming from every direction to get a piece of me. As an insecure, timid leader, I was the perfect shark bait.

Gary and I agonized over putting our trust in the wrong people. We faced betrayals, accusations, and let people manipulate us out of time and money.

One day Gary came to me with tears in his eyes. “I wrote my resignation letter today,” he said, trying to fight back the crushing disappointment in his voice.

We were so close to giving everything up because of sharks.

It was CRITICAL that we learned how to deal with difficult people.

It’s critical for you too.

You may feel like quitting today, but I want to encourage you; there are answers.

Redefine Your Role

As a Christian, I used to think it was my job to make everyone happy.

NEWS FLASH: it’s not your job to make everyone happy. Only God can do that—He’s their answer, not you.

Through the years, I’ve learned a powerful secret about sharks…

Sharks don’t eat fish because of anything the fish do. They don’t eat fish because those fish aren’t good enough fish, or because those fish aren’t nice enough to the sharks.

Sharks eat fish simply because they’re SHARKS!

I learned this lesson the hard way. I didn’t know how to separate somebody else’s reactions from my identity.

Jesus was a perfect leader and friend, and even He offended people. John 15:18-19 (NIV) say,

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

There are people you will meet in life who will get offended with you no matter what you do. If you exhaust yourself trying to please them, you may delay it for a day, but the inevitable will come.

Romans 12:18 (NIV) says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Pay special attention to the middle of that Scripture: “As far as it depends on you. ” Peace in every relationship is not always within your power. People have responsibility too. Do as much as you can to live at peace with everyone, but don’t live in a state of people pleasing, fear, or intimidation.

You have to learn how to separate other people’s actions and reactions from YOUR identity.

And for the record, we can all demonstrate sharklike qualities from time to time. Especially when we’re hurting, tired, or operating out of our emotions.

 

Keep the Vision Ahead

When dealing with difficult people, you have to remember…

You can’t make everyone happy, and that’s okay. God never asked you to.

You’re on a mission.

You’re on assignment.

You can’t compromise your destiny to please people.

Jesus gives us an example of this in Luke 4:42-43 (NIV):

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

How someone reacts when your obedience to God and the priorities He has placed in your life interfere with what they want from you isn’t a sign of your failure or unworthiness. It’s simply an indicator of an immaturity in them.

You have to stay obedient to the will of God anyway.

Give people grace, patience, and love, but don’t take false responsibility for other people’s offenses.

Keep swimming!

September 5, 2025
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By Gary Keesee August 15, 2025
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By Gary Keesee July 14, 2025
Reading Time 3 mins 46 secs – Picture this. You’re standing at the edge of a foggy path that winds through a forest. You’ve never walked this path before. You can’t see more than a few feet ahead. There are no signs. No map. No flashlight. Just a still, quiet voice inside telling you to start walking. Would you? Most people wouldn’t. They’d wait until the fog clears. Until the way is visible. Until they feel “sure.” But that’s not how the Kingdom works. Friend, faith walks before it sees. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) tells us this plainly: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Not what we can see. Not what we understand. Not what’s guaranteed. Faith is walking when it feels like you’re walking blind, but you’re actually walking guided. Let’s talk about Abraham for a second. God said to him, “...Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NIV). God didn’t show Abraham the land first. He didn’t explain all the details. He didn’t promise a step-by-step plan. God simply said, “ Go, ” and Abraham went. He didn’t argue. He didn’t delay. He didn’t ask for the weather report or route details. He trusted the voice. He walked before he saw. And because of that one step, a generational promise was unlocked. Now, let’s fast forward to the New Testament, to the story found in Matthew 14. Jesus came walking on water in the middle of the night, and Peter saw Him. Peter said, “Lord, if it’s really You, tell me to come.” And Jesus said, “Come.” What did Peter do? He stepped out of the boat and onto the water. Pause and think about that. Peter walked on water—not because he had magic in his feet but because he trusted the One who called him forward. Peter walked before he saw. Yes, he started to sink when he looked at the waves, but before that, he did what no other human besides Jesus had done: he walked on water by faith. Friend, your boat might feel safer. It might feel familiar. But if God is calling you out of it, staying there is more dangerous than stepping forward. Let’s get real for a second. There are seasons when God will not show you the full picture, on purpose. Why? Because if He showed you everything, you’d try to control it instead of trusting Him with it. Faith is trusting His character when you can’t see His hand. It’s saying yes without having every answer. It’s building the ark before the rain comes. It’s marching around Jericho before the walls fall. It’s digging a ditch before there’s a drop of rain. That’s the Kingdom. Here’s what the Bible says: “For we live by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV). That’s not a metaphor. That’s a lifestyle. You don’t wait until all your fear is gone to obey. You don’t wait until you’re certain to trust. It means you don’t wait until your finances line up perfectly to give. You walk before you see. Let’s look at one more example. In Acts 9, Saul, who later became Paul, was traveling to Damascus while persecuting Christians when, suddenly, a blinding light stopped him. Jesus spoke directly to him, and Saul was blinded. God then instructed a man named Ananias to go and pray for Saul and restore his sight. Ananias was hesitant because he knew Saul’s reputation for harming believers. Despite his doubts and without any guarantees, Ananias obeyed and went to Saul. He stepped out in faith before knowing the outcome. That single act of obedience set the stage for Paul’s powerful ministry and the writing of much of the New Testament. So, let me ask you… Where is God asking you to walk, before you see? To step into a calling that scares you? To give up something you’ve leaned on for security? To trust Him with your finances? To forgive someone you haven’t gotten an apology from? Whatever it is, I want you to hear this. You don’t have to see the outcome to take the next step. You don’t have to understand the entire path to move forward in obedience. Faith walks before it sees. That’s where the miracles are. That’s where the provision is. That’s where peace is waiting. Your comfort zone won’t get you there. But your obedience will. God doesn’t need your full understanding. He needs your full surrender. So today, let this be your reminder… You don’t have to feel brave. You just have to follow. Even in the fog. Even in the unknown. Even when it doesn’t make sense. Because God is already in the place He’s calling you to. He’s gone ahead. He’s prepared the way. He’s waiting at your next step. So, take it. Because faith? It always walks before it sees.