Yummy stuff vs. Crazy People

I was invited to a cookie exchange and candy making party this week. I made my 'candy cane cookies' which although aren't necessarily the most amazing tasting cookie in the world, are definitely the most fun to look at. The cookie exchange was of course great fun - I mean who doesn't have fun trying all the different kinds of cookies and Christmas goodies that people have to share?
But the real highlight for me was learning how to make candy - or chocolate covered fondant. Fondant is the filling inside chocolates like you get in a box of chocolates. It was amazing how after cooking up the mixture and letting it cool and then stirring it for ages, the consistency suddenly changes from gooey/sticky and stringy to this sort of crumbly/clay like consistency. At that point you can add flavoring and then form into balls and freeze the fondant filling for a while before dipping in chocolate. It is yummy very sweet stuff! I'll have to take a picture of some of the coconut ones that I helped to dip which looked particularly professional in my opinion.

I looked up the chemical reaction that takes place and basically what happens is that the mixture you make up is heated and therefore you can supersaturate the solution with sugar. When the mixture starts to cool down it begins reforming into sugar crystals, but if you mix it, the sugar crystals can't form back into large pieces and instead form into tiny ones that make the consistency smooth. Or something like that...

So that's the good and now I have a complaint. Just need to vent a bit - although I realize that since this is online I probably shouldn't be too specific. :) My complaint is that there are way too many crazy people in this world. Ok, well the majority are just fine, but for some reason God decided that I could handle multiple crazy people in multiple situations in my life. Now, I've decided that I can handle it when crazy people are just doing their own thing or doing something that doesn't affect me. But put a crazy person in a position of power and watch out. Life is going to get pretty crappy.

Now my dilemma is how to deal with these people. You don't really want to stoop to their level and do crazy things back to them, but trying to talk reason into them doesn't work either. You don't want them to walk all over you and just do whatever they want, but you don't want to get in their face and give them a piece of your mind - because that wouldn't be pretty. So far a firm but gentle answer has worked out fairly well. Oh AND the other thing is if people are doing crazy things but you don't have proof of what they're doing - sneaky & manipulative crazy people. Those are the worst. You're pretty sure they're doing things to make your life miserable, but you just can't get them to admit it.

Ok sorry this is all a little too obscure for a blog post, but maybe some of you have dealt with people like this before. How do you handle situations like these?

The only things I keep coming up with are these:

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Matthew 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 2:1-3
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?

Ah conviction. It is so hard to do what's right. So much easier to complain. Although, again I don't think that God wants us to just sit there and let people do whatever they want - Jesus stood up for things that were wrong and unjust, but I guess we just need to be careful how we do it and be sure our hearts are right so we can't be accused of doing the same things as the people we're accusing. Any suggestions are helpful - even vague ones - something might hit home to my particular situations. Thanks! :)