Fact: Mean people are broken people. Watch any movie from the 70's and 80's and the depiction of bullies as ultimately being scared and hurt people who don't know how to ask for help is completely accurate. Unfortunately, how do we react to "mean" people? We become defensive and either run from them and allow them to hurt us or we become mean back. Neither response is helpful to them or to us. When others are "mean" to us, we must show love to them or they will remain mean and we will remain as broken as they are.
Lord, help me to see others anger or unkindness or judgement as a cry for help and not an attack on me so I can make it about helping them and not simply about me.